Teacups and Carousels
by xCastielsGirlx
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto- supposed mute and victim of child abuse. Uchiha Sasuke- a boy in Naruto's year who just so happened to be dragged into his life- as things start to spiral and Naruto becomes lost, can Sasuke save him from falling too far and being lost forever? AU: SasuNaru Friendship. Rated 'M' for abuse. Cover Art by Juura99/Juuria66
1. Part I

**_Teacups and Carousels_**

**_xCastielsGirlx_**

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**Full Summary:**Uzumaki Naruto- supposed mute and victim of child abuse. Uchiha Sasuke- a boy in Naruto's year who just so happened to get dragged into his life- as things start to spiral and Naruto becomes lost, can Sasuke save him from falling too far and being lost forever?

**Author's Note:**I love the fact that even though I'm all over le SasuNaru references, I can still manage to write friendship with only a few hints. But yeah- another extremely one-shot like this is going to come up soon by the name of 'Edge of the Raincloud'. Check my profile for a summary on that one- I'm hoping it'll be soon- although this may have to be split in two- but let's not hope for that, eh?

**Warnings:** Swearing, violence, mentions of abuse. Sasuke may also seem a little bit OOC.

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I might throw in a few OCs- but not many.

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_***~Teacups and Carousels~***_

_***~Part I~***_

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The raven surveyed his surroundings with something akin to distaste. He was only five years old and he already had the stick up his backside that every Uchiha should during their entire life.

They were at aFairground that went by the name of 'Namikaze's'. Onyx eyes glared at the flashing lights to the carousels around him. The plastic horses with their painted on grins, the teacups with their dizzying spins- nothing appealed to the Uchiha who just pouted and folded his arms across his chest. All he wanted to do was go home and work on the school project that he had been assigned to that day, but his mother insisted that he should have some fun.

It was the 23rd of July.

The significance of this date- when asked to an outsider- would just be any ordinary day, and that's what the small Uchiha boy thought so too. Why would you celebrate a year closer to death? The boy wasn't morbid- he just didn't see the point in celebrating the day you were born. Surely you should just acknowledge it- not blow up balloons, bear badges or consume cake?

"Sasuke? Are you going to go on any of the rides?" a raven haired woman with kind brown eyes asked. The boy- Sasuke- just pouted and faced away from the person who was obviously his mother. Her smile dropped at the attitude of the boy before she just sighed and looked away. Her eyes caught the teacups and she sighed nostalgically. She and her husband had met on the teacups in a travelling fair. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the tears before she crouched to her little boy's height.

"C'mon Sasuke, let's at least have a ride on the teacups, eh?" she tried to persuade. Sasuke locked his onyx eyes with the kind brown of his mother's. They were the same shade as his older brother's and so he found it hard to resist. He nodded and sighed. His mother looked considerably happier as they approached. She went to take a pale hand in her own but the boy moved away before she could take it. A small, sad smile crossed the woman's face and she walked up to the operator of the machine.

"Two people please," she told him. The redheaded teen nodded and gestured for them to step on. A few other people occupied the other cups and within two minutes, they were spinning. Sasuke's eyes shot open at the sensation of spinning. His mother was opposite him, smiling slightly.

"Do you want to spin it with me Sasuke?" she asked the boy. Sasuke looked into his mother's pleading eyes and decided that he could stop being repressed for a moment and enjoy the time spent with his mother. She was the only family he had left now. Their hands joined at the centre disk as they spun it around, faster and faster until both of them were giddily giggling. The ride came to an end and they were both still chuckling slightly. Sasuke's mother seemed to have lost the sadness in her eyes and the boy's eyes were much brighter and warmer. He allowed his mother to take his hand as they stepped off the ride.

"That was fun, wasn't it Sasuke?" she asked.

"Yes Mama," the boy replied with a small smile. The smile vanished when Sasuke felt a pair of eyes upon his person. He glanced around to see a small blond boy, about a year younger than him, grabbing onto the jean clad leg of the redhead and staring at him. Sasuke felt his smile turn into a scowl and the blond shrunk back, a little bit of fear painted in his blue eyes. The woman zoned in on the boy that was fearfully looking at Sasuke before she noticed the scowl and frowned.

"Don't be so mean, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. Sasuke looked up to his mother with pleading eyes.

"He was staring at me Mama!" he implored, pointing at the blond. The woman sighed before dragging her son away from the blond boy with blue eyes. The boy himself just shrunk back behind the older teen.

"Kyuu-chan," he whispered slightly. The redhead looked down at the blond who was cowering. Murky brown eyes glanced to the raven boy who was walking along with his mother.

"Don't worry about it Naruto," he whispered, ruffling the blond spikes. The younger child- Naruto- chewed on his sleeves before looking up to his older brother.

"When's Mama coming back, Kyuu-chan?" he asked, almost whimpering. The redhead sighed and faced away.

"She's not, Naruto. She's gone to play with the angels," he whispered, trying to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat. Confused blue eyes looked up.

"Angels?" he asked in a confused voice. The teenager turned to his little brother.

"Uh-huh. Mama's an angel now. She'll be looking after you from a distance- so remember to be good!" he chuckled as a few tears slipped from his eyes. Naruto was instantly worried for his older brother.

"Kyuubi! Don't cry! She's looking after you too!" Naruto reasoned, climbing up onto his big brother's lap and wiping at his older brother's face with his wet, chewed sleeves. Kyuubi chuckled and hugged his little brother.

"I wish we could just get away from this place," he whispered, kissing his baby brother on the cheek. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Papa's scary when he yells," the blond whispered against the chest of his older brother. Kyuubi stroked the blond locks.

"Don't worry about it Naru. Nothing'll ever touch you. I promise," the teen said with such sincerity, he believed his own words. A blinding grin was sent his way by the small blond and Kyuubi felt another lump rise in his throat. He couldn't worry about that though, he had customers to serve and rides to start.

"Why don't you go and ask Shukaku for some candy floss, eh?" he told the infant. Naruto nodded with a glee before wondering off the food vendor. He found the sandy-haired man just entering his food wagon.

"Shu-chan!" the blond yelled, wandering over. Shukaku turned around at the voice and grinned.

"Hey there little one!" he greeted, sweeping the young boy up in an embrace before rubbing his cheeks against the tanned other's.

"What brings you here, eh?" he asked, setting the blond on the high stool that he usually occupied whilst serving customers. Naruto swung from side to side on the chair.

"Kyuu-chan told me to come and eat some candy floss!" he grinned. Shukaku sighed.

"Orange again?" he asked, knowing the answer. Naruto nodded vigorously in reply, stretching his small hands out to grab the treat that was going to be stuck on his face later on. Shukaku rolled his eyes but handed the blond the treat anyway. A small cough caught the teen's attention and he turned around to be met with the raven haired woman and her son.

"Hey there, what can I get ya?" Shukaku asked, leaning on the counter with his forearm. The woman smiled, opting for a large swirly lollypop.

"What would you like, Sasuke?" she asked her son. Sasuke blinked, looking up to the blond who had a large mouthful of cotton candy. He blinked before his eyes set on an ocean coloured lollypop. He pointed towards it before Shukaku had given the sweets. The teen nodded and rung up the total whilst Sasuke continued to stare at the blond enigma. His mother saw the gaze and decided to distract the vendor in hopes that her son would finally make a new friend.

"Is this a travelling fair? I've never seen it before." she asked. The sandy-haired teen shook his head.

"Nah, we just recently opened!" he grinned. The woman smiled.

"Ah, do you find it fun to work here?" she asked. Shukaku nodded.

"Sure! You always meet new and interesting people! Say, Miss, what's your name?" Shukaku asked politely, tilting his head to the side. The woman smiled.

"Uchiha Mikoto," she replied. Shukaku nodded.

"I'm Sabakuno Shukaku! It's nice to meet'cha!" he replied. Mikoto smiled at the teen before glancing to Sasuke, who was still staring in wonderment as the blond had snuck a third bag of candy floss and was somehow still eating. It was covered all over his face and hands, but Sasuke still couldn't help but stare.

"So, do you all live in the area?" she asked. Shukaku nodded before blindly reaching out to the side and snagging the fifth bag from Naruto's hands. The blond just pouted and looked the other way.

"This little ruffian here should be starting school soon," he replied, pointing to Naruto with his thumb, who tried to bite it. Mikoto giggled at the action before the blond turned to her with a blinding grin.

"You're pretty! Just like my Mama!" he commented. Shukaku paled and Mikoto blushed.

"W-why thank you," she stuttered, smiling slightly. Naruto nodded.

"My Mama's an angel though so she's not here. I'm sure that you'd like her if you met her though!" the blond continued, unaware of the amount of shock the small statement caused. Mikoto looked towards the blond boy with wide eyes.

"If my Mama's an angel, are you one too? Kyuu-chan says that you have to be pretty to be an angel," the blond frowned. Mikoto chuckled before smiling.

"I'm not an angel, no. Not yet, anyway," she replied.

"Maybe in about 100 years- but not yet," she sighed. Naruto frowned.

"Do you not think that you're pretty enough? You'd get straight into Heaven!" he told the woman eagerly. Shukaku placed a hand over the mouth of the blond.

"I'm so sorry Mikoto-san," he apologised quickly, pulling the blond down for the chair and out of sight. Mikoto shook her head.

"It doesn't bother me Shukaku-kun," she smiled, looking down to see her son with another scowl on his face.

"Dobe," he muttered, turning on his heel and stalking off. Mikoto watched with wide eyes, turning back to Shukaku to bid him farewell. She caught up with her son.

"Sasuke! What's wrong?" she asked the raven haired boy. Sasuke just huffed and crossed his arms.

"He's so stupid- he doesn't know that his mother's dead. When people are gone, they don't come back!" he snapped, glaring back towards the food vendor. Mikoto frowned.

"He's young, Sasuke. He doesn't know as much as you yet," she explained. Sasuke snorted.

"He's little than a year younger than me- he needs to grow up. There is no Heaven, no Angels and no Fate. It's all chance in life and you have to grab it!" Sasuke scowled. Mikoto's eyes widened before they lowered to the ground.

"C'mon Sasuke, let's go home," she sighed, trying once more to take her little boy's hand.

She was greeted by silence and an empty hand.

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…_***~Teacups and Carousels~*…**_

_**11 Years Later…**_

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"Gypsy boy," the hisses attacked the tan ears of a blond with scarred cheeks as he made his way down the school corridor. He ignored the whispers and searing glares pointed in his direction as he approached his locker and shoved his key into the lock. He ignored the graffiti on his locker. He ignored everyone that caused him grief.

It was how he survived in Secondary School.

Pulling his P.E kit from the locker, he swung the door shut, locking it once more and walking away. The blond kept his head low, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. However, as he wasn't looking up, he didn't realise that soon he'd be colliding with a raven haired prefect. The blond was confused as one moment, he was walking to the Sports Hall and the next, he was on his back on the floor. He frowned at the ceiling before a groan caught his attention.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you're going!" was the snarled response. The blond sat up, rubbing his head and looked up into breath-taking onyx eyes. He felt his chest constrict as the onyx smouldered his own ocean blue and he blinked twice. The raven with the duck-butt hair just growled, hauling the blond up by his collar.

"What's wrong, dobe? Too scared to fight back?" he snarled into the tan face. The blond just flinched at the tone and started to shake. It brought back painful memories- even just last night when his father had grabbed him in the same spot before landing a fist to his stomach and then throwing him across the room. The raven just snorted at the flinch and dropped the blond to the floor.

"You should watch where you're walking, Uzumaki." was the threat from the prefect as he made his way to the Sports Hall also. The blond- Uzumaki Naruto- just shook his head and stood up before sighing and walking away. As he arrived at the Sports Hall, his teacher, Might Gai, jogged up to him to scold him on being late. Naruto just ignored the man and went into the changing rooms that were almost empty by that point. A brunet- Inuzuka Kiba- stood in the corner with his friend Nara Shikamaru, just discussing what they were going to do that evening. They spotted Naruto as he entered and went silent, just observing the enigma that was such a scapegoat in the school's society. The changing room was bathed in silence and the two boys felt their jaws drop when the blond removed his hoodie that was definitely not part of the school code and his school shirt.

Bruises littered the arms and chest of the blond with the occasional cut here and there. Then there were the faint scars and few not-so-old cuts on his wrists. Kiba blinked a few times whilst Shikamaru just stared at the blond. Naruto soon caught on that they were looking and faced the two with an icy glare. The two just gulped at the fury and underlying drop of fear in those oceans before making their way out of the changing room. They kept their comments and questions to themselves. Even if they did ask the blond, he wouldn't reply. It was a well-known fact that Uzumaki Naruto had become a mute after just a year in secondary school. The School's psychiatrists had tried to rouse some noise out of the blond, but each had failed miserably. As soon as he had turned thirteen, the usually so loud and not-caring-about-what-you-think Uzumaki had fallen silent, almost as if he had been placed under a curse by an old witch with a poisonous apple. The blond just sighed before pulling on his football socks and trainers. He made his way to the field where they were already being divided into teams. Naruto was glad that they had to wear rugby shirts in winter as he could cover up his arms. He'd always preferred the colder weather- that way he could hide the marks more easily in longer and baggier clothes. Plus he wouldn't sweat as much. Sweat rubbed away the concealer that covered the bruises on his face. He jogged onto the field as his teacher had pointed at him.

"Uzumaki-kun, you're on Uchiha-kun's team," he pointed out. Naruto just nodded and went to join the end of the line that had formed behind the team captain. A few glares were directed his way but he just ignored them as usual. He formed up behind Shikamaru and Kiba who looked slightly awkward in the presence of the blond. Naruto just sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be doing anything for this P.E session as nobody wanted the 'Gypsy Boy' to be on their team. No matter how good he was on the field, he'd never be given a chance- that's just how the school worked. Nobody wanted the unpopular one on their team. Naruto just folded his arms across his chest, wincing when the material caught his cuts and bruises slightly. He went to go sit on the bench as the two teams approached, not wanting to feel the small pang as he was rejected from a team once again. A whistle caught his attention.

"Oi, Uzumaki- where're you going? You're striker!" Kiba called. Ocean blues widened and he approached as Shikamaru walked out.

"Football's too troublesome," he told the blond, who just blinked again before breaking into a jog to the team who looked a little less than pleased when they saw that Naruto wasn't going to be sitting on the side as usual. Kiba was the only exception who grinned at the blond, who smiled back awkwardly.

"Okay, so we go for the usual positions. Uzumaki, you're taking over from Nara today and will be my secondary striker," Sasuke relayed. Naruto just nodded, already knowing who'd be going where from his constant watching's of the two teams. He knew their strategy too.

"You know our strategy, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, looking into the blue eyes. A small nod was his reply and Sasuke nodded back, seeming to have completely forgotten about their encounter right before the lesson.

"Alright, let's get into position then," he summarised. Naruto jogged out onto the field and just sighed at the fact that he was actually being included. He reminded himself that it most probably wouldn't last though seeing as it was only happening because Shikamaru wanted a nap.

The game was intense and the final score was 16-3 to Sasuke's team. Most of the scores were down to Sasuke, but Naruto had scored at least seven of them. By the end, despite the cold, the blond was sweating slightly. Thankfully, he had a free period next and had the time to use the school showers. He approached his gym locker, withdrawing a pair of swim shorts and shower gel. He left his towel in the locker for when he had finished and waited for the changing rooms to empty before changing into his shorts and approaching the showers. He pressed the button and relished in the feeling of water pouring down his back and through his hair. He let out a small sigh and a smile slipped onto his face as he washed his body, avoiding the areas with bruises and cuts with an expert hand.

"Broke my heart on the road. Spent the weekend sewing the pieces back on," The blond just sang a few lyrics before humming as he entered beneath the spray of water to wet his hair even more.

"Not the homecoming kind. Take the top off and who knows what you may find," Naruto uncapped the gel and rubbed it into his hair as he sang further on and entered the downpour of warm water- not noticing the sound of someone's footsteps coming closer and a pair of onyx eyes watching him shower.

"'Cause I'm a gypsy. Are you coming with me? I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me," a small cough made the blond jump and slip on the soap suds before he flew backwards, slamming his head on the tiled floor, everything going black.

Sasuke stared in shock at the knocked-out blond on the floor of the shower. He'd come back as he'd forgotten his jumper to hear somebody singing beautifully. Curious, he'd stepped forward to see who owned the voice only to be met with Uzumaki Naruto- a supposed mute. He'd just cleared his throat when he'd jumped violently, knocking himself out. Sasuke sighed and dragged the blond out from the spray of water and winced when he saw a small amount of blood coming from the head of the blond.

"Shit," he hissed as he leant the blond against a locker and tapped his cheek.

"Dobe, wake up!" he hissed, tapping the cheeks further. There was a small groan and hazy blue eyes opened blearily, spotting a pale and raven blob above him.

"Whazzgoinon?" he muttered slightly before hissing as his head brushed against something. Ocean blue locked with onyx and he frowned.

"'Ske?What'r you doin'?" he muttered sloppily as he tried to focus on his surroundings.

"So much for being a mute, dobe. You knocked yourself out whilst singing in the shower," he explained, feeling the back of the blond's head for a lump and jumped when the blond yelped.

"Teme, that hurt!" he cried and the raven pulled his hand back, seeing it had a few spots of blood on it.

"You need to go to Matron. You're bleeding." Sasuke instructed, reverting into his 'sensible prefect' mode. The mode which had no prejudice or biases.

"Don't tell me what to do," Naruto muttered, struggling to stay conscious. His head dipped into the crook of Sasuke's neck and his warm breath fanned across the raven's collarbone. Sasuke tapped his cheek a few more times.

"C'mon dobe; at least get dressed and dried," Sasuke told the blond, who nodded sleepily and struggled to stand up. He had dried himself and slipped on his school uniform. Sasuke grabbed Naruto faded orange rucksack and shoved his P.E kit into it. He noticed that the blond was sat on the benches, breathing steadily.

"Fucking hell," he breathed gently as he approached the blond once more.

"Dobe! Get up!" he commanded but was met with silence. He sighed in aggravation before swinging the blond's arm over his shoulder and dragging him up.

"C'mon dobe, at least help me out here!" he muttered as he exited the Sports Hall.

"Teme, I'm not a dobe," was the soft mutter in return as Naruto roused a bit and started to slowly drag his feet. Sasuke smirked slightly as the two made their way to the infirmary. Sasuke gained several looks of surprise at the fact he was actually helping the blond whilst Naruto himself received many scathing glares for making the Uchiha help him. Sasuke just glared at the people who glared at the blond who was struggling to stay conscious and had blood mixing with his blond hair. They eventually reached the infirmary where the school nurse was waiting at her desk with a pen.

"What happened this time?" she sighed as she noted Naruto's almost unconscious form. Sasuke frowned.

"What do you mean by 'this time'?" he asked. The Matron- Tsunade- looked up with shocked eyes as she grabbed the blond and placed him down on the bed.

"Pillow…nice," muttered the blond. Tsunade smiled and stroked the blond locks.

"Tsunade-sensei, what do you mean by 'this time'?" Sasuke repeated once more. Tsunade looked around, honey eyes searching for eavesdroppers before she closed the infirmary door, locked it and drew the small curtain across the window.

"What do you know about Naruto, Sasuke?" she asked, sitting down at her desk. Sasuke frowned.

"He works at 'Namikaze's' and is teased because of it. He's been labelled a 'mute' but from his singing in the shower and the fact he was talking to me earlier contradicts that greatly," Sasuke told the nurse. Tsunade just nodded sagely and frowned.

"He talked to you?" Tsunade asked, shocked. Sasuke nodded and Tsunade hummed in response.

"He doesn't talk to anyone but Shizune, Jiraiya, Iruka, Kakashi and I." she muttered. Sasuke blinked, having no idea who these people were.

"What did he say to you?" the nurse asked curiously

"He told me not to tell him what to do when I was helping him and not to call him a dobe," Sasuke replied, frowning. Tsunade nodded.

"At least he's going for slightly normal conversations now," she muttered. Sasuke frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Tsunade looked up and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I've said too much already. So what happened?" she asked. Sasuke huffed and frowned.

"He slipped in the shower, knocking himself out. There's a bit of blood as well," he told the nurse, who just nodded in reply.

"Thanks for bringing him here Uchiha-kun; there are many who would've just left him there," she sighed. Sasuke nodded, already understanding the prejudice in their school.

"No problem," he muttered, going to leave. He was just about to open the door and forget about the whole thing when Tsunade called him back.

"Yes, Tsunade-sensei?" he asked. The woman sighed and looked the Uchiha right in the eyes.

"You saw the bruises and cuts didn't you?" she asked. Sasuke nodded. Tsunade looked down and to the side.

"Don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you otherwise I will make sure you are excluded!" she warned. Sasuke entered back into the room, closing the door and standing straight.

"I promise that I won't reveal anything Tsunade-sensei," he promised. Tsunade nodded and looked directly into onyx eyes.

"Uzumaki-kun is abused by his father. That's the cause of most of those marks. I want you to look out for him- be his friend if you can- but don't let anything bad happen to him. This is a personal plea from me, Sasuke. I don't want my grandson to be a victim," she told the youngest Uchiha, who just swallowed and nodded.

"I'll try my hardest, Tsunade-sensei." He agreed. Tsunade smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Uchiha-kun. Now get to your lesson!" she told the boy, who just nodded and exited, mind reeling with the information he'd been told. Naruto was being abused. And what did Tsunade mean by _most_ of the marks? What did she mean by _this time_? Had it happened before? Was Naruto regularly abused at home and in school? The Uchiha swallowed and looked up. Nobody deserved what the blond was going through- he was determined to make it better.

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…_***~Teacups and Carousels~*…**_

* * *

A bleary ocean eye cracked open and all he could see was white. He sighed as he felt the familiar comfort of the infirmary bed beneath his back and the soft blanket over his body. His vision was then assaulted by blonde hair and a large chest.

"Hey there, Naruto-kun," Tsunade welcomed as she helped the blond sit up on the bed. Naruto smiled slightly before crying out quietly and gripping his head.

"Motherfuck, OW!" he whisper-screamed. Tsunade made a sympathetic clicking noise with her tongue before stroking blond locks once more. Confused cerulean looked into concerned honey.

"What happened? How did I get here?" he asked, gripping his head as Tsunade stood up to grab a few painkillers. She hummed, handing the medication to the blond.

"Uchiha-kun brought you in after you knocked yourself out in the shower." She explained. The memories came flooding back like the tide onto the beach and the blond blushed.

"I spoke to him. He's going to tell the school I'm a fake! Oh God!" he cried out, gripping his head and pulling his hair. Tsunade just sighed, gently taking the blond's bruised and cut wrists and pulling them away from his hair.

"I told him not to tell anyone what happened under threat of expulsion. He won't tell anyone," Tsunade told him softly, making the blond sigh with relief.

"So you were singing in the shower, eh?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Naruto just blushed and shoved the nurse away.

"Shut up!" he mumbled, then eyeing the spilt medication on the floor.

"Ah, I'm sorry baa-chan, I spilt the medication!" he mumbled. Tsunade just rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I've plenty more," she reassured, walking over to the cupboard and taking out more medication. The blond sighed and smiled.

"Are you going to work tonight, Naruto-kun?" Tsunade asked, coming back over. Naruto nodded, taking the medication, using a polystyrene cup of water to do so.

"Uh-huh. Dad'll have my head if I don't," he replied with humour- even though the statement wasn't that far from truth. Tsunade smiled sadly.

"Don't joke about those sorts of things. You know you can always move in with me, don't you?" Tsunade told the blond, who just sighed.

"The humour makes it bearable- and I don't want to put pressure on you or Great Uncle Jiraiya," he told the woman, who just sighed, looking lost. Unless the boy didn't deny the claims, she wouldn't be able to help him at all. She grabbed a tan hand in her own.

"Let me help you, Naruto," she pleaded. The blond just smiled a radiant smile, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Thanks for the offer Baa-chan, but this is something I need to do on my own," he replied, still smiling, missing the devastated look on the woman's face.

"He's still my Papa, and I still love him," he replied, squeezing the hand in his own. Tsunade just sighed.

"You've got a free period, right?" she asked. Naruto nodded.

"Actually, I have two free periods, and lunch!" Naruto explained. Tsunade nodded.

"How about we go out for ramen?" she asked. Naruto blinked.

"But don't you have to be here just in case something happens?" the blond asked. Tsunade smiled.

"I'm sure Shizune will be able to handle it," she replied, leaving a note for her assistant. Naruto frowned.

"I don't feel right about taking you away from your duty, Tsunade-sensei," he replied quietly. She just smiled, grabbing her coat and car keys.

"I'd feel even worse if I abandoned my duty as your grandmother- now get into the car and grab your stuff; we're going for ramen!" she sternly told the blond, who just sighed in return before grabbing his school things and heading into the school car park.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Naruto muttered when they were outside. Tsunade just scoffed, glaring at the students that were staring from a window.

"You shouldn't care about them, Naruto- they're all a bunch of wet-nosed brats!" she spat, glaring with distaste at the ones who were glaring at Naruto.

In one of the classrooms, Sasuke watched as Naruto was taken by the nurse to her car and entered into the passenger's seat of the car. He just sighed before facing his front and listening to what the teacher had to say on carbon double bonds. A tap on his shoulder caught his attention, and he turned to his right to see Haruno Sakura- a fellow prefect- staring meaningfully at him.

"Do you need some help, Haruno-san?" he asked her. She frowned at the formal tone before looking past the raven to follow Naruto being driven off the school premises by the matron. Sasuke was irritated by her short attention span, and was about to go back to his work when she said something that caught his attention.

"Y'know, he's actually really nice," she muttered, looking down at the practice paper they were completing. Onyx eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" he asked, wanting to know more. Sakura glanced around her self-consciously as if looking for someone to scold her.

"Well, I went to the Fair he works at and that his father owns about a week ago with my family. He was tending the carousel and seeing as it was my little sister's birthday, I agreed to go on the carouselwith her." Sakura started. Sasuke just nodded, wanting her to continue.

"He's not actually a mute," she whispered. Sasuke nodded.

"I know. He was singing in the Sports Hall shower block. He slipped and knocked himself out. He then scolded me for calling him a dobe," Sasuke frowned, as if tasting something strange. Sakura nodded.

"He'll only talk to a few people- he told me," she whispered. Sasuke's eyebrows practically disappeared beneath his hairline.

"I talked to him after he let us onto the carousel- my little sister adored him and he gave her a free cuddly toy," she smiled slightly. Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah, does seem like something he'd do," he commented. Sakura giggled slightly.

"But he self-harms," she whispered sadly. Sasuke's eyebrows were non-existent at this point.

'_So that's what Tsunade meant by most of the marks,'_ he thought to sighed and looked down to his worksheet.

"Sasuke-kun, do you know where he gets the marks from?" Sakura asked the raven. Sasuke had half a mind to tell her that he did, but Tsunade's threat came swimming to the forefront of his mind, and so he shook his head.

"I heard that his father abuses him," she whispered even quieter. Sasuke's eyes shot open.

"How did you know that? Why are you telling me this?" he asked the pinkette. Sakura just sighed.

"He told me himself and- I guess I'm telling you this because, well, everyone seems to _hate_ him. I guess I just want you to be different to everybody else," she whispered. Sasuke swallowed at the confession but just nodded.

"I know- I want to be different too," he whispered, shocking the pinkette, who just twisted on her science stool to face him.

"I vote we confront him tomorrow at work and tell him we want to be friends!" she told the raven. Sasuke blinked but just rolled his eyes at the pinkette's suggestion.

"Might as well," he commented. Sakura beamed at him before there was a bark from the front of the class.

"HARUNO! Kindly stop gazing into Uchiha's eyes and get on with the work!" Kurenai Yūhi snapped at her student. Sakura bowed her head slightly.

"Sorry sensei!" she apologised before getting back on with her work. Sasuke just smirked before his thoughts wandered over to the boy that was currently at Ichiraku's Ramen.

The blond shuddered as he ate his ramen but he didn't focus on that as Tsunade frowned at him.

"Do you not want another bowl?" she asked as Naruto pushed away his single bowl. Naruto shook his head, wincing when he felt slightly dizzy.

"I'm fine Tsunade-sensei," he reassured, looking into golden eyes. The woman just sighed and checked her watch. By now, the school bell would've just rung for lunch.

"So what stall are working tonight?" Tsunade asked as the two paid for the meal and walked down the street. Naruto dug his hands into his pockets to keep them from the bitter cold.

"I'm working on the teacups tonight," he answered.

"Then I'll most probably move onto the food stall," he replied, trying to ignore the pang of hurt that always appeared when he had to work those two shifts. Not long after his mother had passed away, Kyuubi and Shukaku had run away, leaving Naruto alone with his father. Tsunade sighed, knowing exactly what thoughts were occupying the blond's head. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure they're fine wherever they are," she commented, placing a soft hand on Naruto's shoulder. She felt the blond sigh before a smile was sent her way.

"Yeah," he whispered. The two stopped outside a burger van, ordering a hot chocolate for the blond and herself a coffee. The blond sipped at the sweet beverage, sighing when it warmed him to the core.

"Will you visit me today?" Naruto asked as they continued down the street. Tsunade blew the steam away from the liquid caffeine.

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything," she told the blond, who just nodded in reply.

"It's okay. If you're busy you don't have to," he replied. Tsunade just ruffled blond locks, avoiding the sore spot expertly.

"I'll try my very best," she told him before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Naruto blinked before chuckling.

"Thanks for the outing, Baa-chan- it really helped me clear my head," Naruto told the woman, who smiled softly down at him.

"Anything for my darling grandson," she whispered as they continued to make their way down town.

* * *

…_***~Teacups and Carousels~*…**_

* * *

Naruto sighed as he walked through his front door and placed his bag down in the hallway.

"Dad, I'm home." He called out into the house. He was greeted by silence and frowned. Usually his dad would wait for him to come home from school before setting off to work.

"Yo, Dad! You here?" he called out. A shuffling in the longue caught his attention and he was about to move closer when he heard the sounds become more pronounced. Moans and wet pants. A blush fanned over the cheeks of the blond before he grabbed his bag, zooming out the front door. He sighed and rubbed his face in embarrassment. Sighing once more, he decided to make his way down to the local park and take residence at a small swing that had been there since he was five- a year after his mother had passed away. He sighed, dropping his bag by the trunk of the thick tree the swing was attached to before settling down onto the swing itself. He started to lightly push himself back and forth with the soles of his feet and sighed, pulling out his iPod to listen to his music. He swung in time to the soft tune of 'Under the Bridge' but was stopped when a shadow was cast over himself. He looked up to be met with the classic school bullies, Sennin Orochimaru and his lackey Yakushi Kabuto.

"What's a gypsy boy like you doing so far from his caravan?" the boy with greasy black hair sneered. Naruto frowned, pulling out his headphones.

"What was that dickwad? I had my headphones in," Naruto snarled back, fully aware of what the other had said. The two were looking confused at the fact that Naruto was actually talking. Their confusion morphed into anger.

"What did you just call me?" Orochimaru hissed, leaning further in to the blond's face.

"You heard me asshole, now fuck off!" he spat, standing up to meet the bully. Kabuto looked calculating.

"You'd better shut your mouth, you gypsy fag!" he snapped. Naruto growled, the sound low in his throat.

"And you'd better wash yours out with soap! Mind you, your hair's so greasy that I doubt you know what it is!" Naruto snapped back. That was it- the blond was pounced upon by the lanky haired raven, a punch being sent into his face. Naruto fought back, landing a few punches into the gut of the boy before he was then dog piled by the other boy, a blow being landed to his temple, making him feel disorientated. Blood then filled his mouth as he was elbowed in the chin, making him bite his tongue.

Naruto growled, fighting and kicking back until, in the end, he lay on his stomach, the foot of Orochimaru pinning his chest to the floor. He spat out some of the coppery blood, still trying to fight back.

"You squirm a lot," Kabuto noted with a hint of sadistic glee as he approached the boy, crouching to face him better. Icy blue locked with heartless grey, narrowing in a deadly glare.

"Fuck you!" he hissed, spitting in the boy's face. Kabuto grimaced, wiping away the blood before his foot collided with the boy's face once more and Naruto winced, the familiar sound of his nose being broken. Kabuto smirked from above him.

"Punks like you should learn their place," he whispered in a deadly voice. Orochimaru chuckled, releasing his foot from between the blond's shoulder blades.

"We went light on you," he commented before the both of them left, leaving a battered blond in their wake. Naruto hissed and sat up before setting his nose back into place; if he didn't, it would heal wonky- he already had enough problems on his list. Clenching his jaw, trying to stifle the pain, Naruto stood up before making his way to his job at the fair. Despite the state he was in, he had to go to work- his dad would kill him otherwise. First he had to wash up in the bathrooms first.

He stood in front of the small basin, washing away the blood that clung to his skin and stained his teeth. Luckily they were all still in place and none of them chipped, so he settled for rinsing his mouth out. He was just about to exit the bathroom when he ran into someone.

"I'm so sorry," the blond mumbled in apology before blue eyes locked with warm brown. Kiba Inuzuka. The brunet just widened his eyes before a grin overtook his face.

"Hey, Uzumaki! How's it going?" he asked cheerily, scratching the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. The blond just stared before blinking twice. The air was stiflingly awkward, almost humid with the tepid unease that was radiating from the two boys. Kiba sighed before looking down and to the side.

"Look, I want to apologise for the almighty ass I've been over the years," he told the blond, whose eyes widened dramatically at the confession. He swallowed a few times, hardly daring to believe his ears.

"I mean, you're not all that bad a guy and I don't see why you get all the hassle you do. I mean, at least you have a job- unlike some people who'd rather stay at home all day on the X-box or other useless shit. I guess, well- I'm sorry, d'ya think we could be friends?" he asked anxiously. Naruto was still trying to comprehend the situation. Somebody was willing to be his friend? Kiba then stuttered.

"A-ah, you're mute, aren't you?" he reminded himself. Naruto sighed and brought his palm to his face in an exasperated movement.

"I'm not mute, Kiba, I just don't like talking to people who potentially want to hurt me," he told the brunet lowly. Kiba stuttered more.

"Why would people want to hurt you?" he asked, horrified. Naruto shrugged but gifted the brunet with a blinding grin.

"However, I would love to be your friend!" he replied, making Kiba's heart beat a little faster with the intensity of the smile he was producing. Kiba chuckled.

"Alright then!" he cried out happily, thrusting his hand forward for the blond to shake. A tan hand interlocked with a slightly paler one, shaking in agreement.

"Never imagined I'd make friends in a Fair bathroom," Naruto chuckled, earning a bark of laughter from the brunet.

"Say, Naru, what shift are you working?" the brunet asked as the two left the bathroom to the main fairground. Naruto chuckled.

"Teacups and then the food cart," he replied. Kiba nodded.

"D'ya think you could show me how the gadgets work? I've always wondered- ever since I was a kid!" Kiba admitted, making the blond chuckle with his enthusiasm.

"Sure thing- I'm just not gunna let you control it- god knows how that'd end up!" Naruto told the brunet as they walked to the little office where the controls were kept. Kiba's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas day as he saw all of the buttons. He reached out a hand to touch one but a sharp slap on his wrist made him draw his hand back. He looked with shocked eyes to the blond.

"Don't touch. I don't want a load of kids puking on the ride," he grinned, earning an abashed chuckled from Kiba.

"Sorry man," he apologised. Naruto just grinned before the first hoard of children came along, wanting to have a go. He just smiled, letting them all on and Kiba watched with longing at all of the controls. Eventually, Naruto gave in, allowing Kiba a turn with the controls. The sight on the brunet's face was hilarious when he made it so that three children threw up. Naruto was furious and refused to ever let him touch the controls again. Kiba just pouted and crossed his arms.

"So what shift do you have now?" Kiba asked as they moved from the teacups. Naruto sighed.

"I'm working at the food cart," he explained, ignoring the pang in his heart. Kiba noticed the upset look in the blond's eye and was confused as to why he'd suddenly changed mood.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, stopping to make sure his friend was okay. Naruto blinked, not realising that he'd let his emotion show on his face.

"A-ah, nothing!" he reassured with a blinding grin. Kiba was about to press the issue further when there was a yell behind him.

"Naruto!" the brunet slyly noticed how the blond tensed on seeing who it was- there was even a little bit of shaking in his hands before they clenched, stilling the motion.

"Yes sir," he perked up. Kiba's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why did Naruto call this person- who was obviously his father- sir? The older blond approached his son, clenching his teeth.

"Where were you? I was waiting to give you a lift!" he barked, clenching his own fists. Naruto swallowed.

"I'm sorry sir, you were busy with a woman," he replied, looking straight into slightly darker blue eyes than his own.

"It won't happen again, I promise," he continued. The man growled raising his hand and crossing it across a tan cheek with a great force.

"It'd better not!" he snarled. Kiba felt as though he was in a dream, but shook himself awake.

"Hey! You can't do that!" he yelled, feeling anger call in his stomach at the fact that Naruto was just going to stand and take the abuse. Two pairs of blue eyes locked onto his own, one pair pleading, the other furious.

"He's my child- he doesn't have a say. Who are you to question my parenting methods?" the parent asked furiously. Kiba clenched his fists, not going to take the fury dished out by this blond.

"I don't care what the fuck you are to him- you shouldn't hit a child that way- especially your own!" he snapped.

"Why you little-"

"FATHER!" Naruto yelled, earning attention of both people who were growling at each other.

"Please, calm down," he whispered, cerulean blue locking onto the elder's. The fist that had been raised to hit the other boy fell limply to the side of the adult.

"Get to work," he told the younger blond, who nodded in return and walked off. Kiba took a moment to glare at the man who looked slightly downcast. He caught up with the blond who had a red mark appearing on his cheek where he'd been slapped.

"Are you alright?" he asked in shock. The blond just nodded.

"You've got a red mark!" Kiba pointed out.

"I know," the blond replied.

"He shouldn't do that!" Kiba complained, running in front of the blond.

"How long has this been going on for?"

"Kiba-"

"Does he always hit you?"

"Kiba, shut-"

"Is that where those marks on your wrists-"

"KIBA!" the blond yelled, successfully cutting off the rant that was forming. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and locked eyes with the brunet.

"He's bipolar, Kiba, and he also has a multiple personality disorder. It's not his fault!" Naruto reassured. Kiba looked a little lost on how to continue.

"But it's dangerous!" he told the boy as they walked to the food cart. Naruto just sighed and looked to the brunet with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry- I can handle it!"

* * *

…_***~Teacups and Carousels~*…**_

* * *

The raven entered through his front door and removed his shoes with his familiar call of 'I'm home'. He waited a few minutes before the shuffling of feet caught his attention. Mikoto Uchiha stood in the doorway with a soft smile on her face.

"How was school, sweetheart?" she asked, looking tired with a few strands of hair falling around her face, coming loose of its ponytail. Sasuke smiled, placing a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"It was fine. When's your shift at the hospital tonight?" he asked, moving to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of juice. Mikoto smiled and followed.

"I have to go in in less than an hour. You don't mind making your own tea do you?" she asked nervously. Sasuke smiled gently, giving the woman a smile he only reserved for special occasions.

"Of course not- it's fine," he replied, putting the juice back in the fridge and taking a swig of the liquid in his cup.

"Mother?" he asked. The woman looked at him, black eyes inquisitive- it wasn't like Sasuke to ask a question with the tone he was using.

"What is it Sasuke?" she replied in question, leaning against the kitchen countertops. Sasuke seemed to be having an internal debate but eventually settled for asking the question.

"Remember when we went to the fair for my fifth birthday?" he asked, beginning the awkward conversation that was to come. Mikoto nodded.

"The blond kid- he didn't have scars on his cheeks, did he?" he asked, sure of the answer that was to come- if what Sakura had told him earlier on and Tsunade's reports were correct, he knew what the answer was.

"No, not that I remember- why?" she asked. Sasuke paled slightly and swallowed.

"N-no reason," he replied, frowning into his juice cup. Mikoto also frowned.

"Why did you ask then?" she quizzed. Sasuke sighed.

"I was just curious," he replied softly. Mikoto's eyes softened slightly and a small smile overtook her features.

"Do you have a crush on him?" she asked. Sasuke choked on the drink and turned an interesting shade of lobster.

"NO!" he spluttered, earning a laugh from his mother.

"Why would you say that?" he gasped, trying to cough out the burn from the liquid that had gone down the wrong hole. Mikoto giggled.

"I don't know, it's just that I've never seen you so inquisitive over a person before," she told the raven who just finished his drink and placed the cup in the dishwasher.

"I don't have a crush on him mother- I've just heard some rumours, that's all," he replied. A sad smile overtook the features of the woman.

"Please don't be too harsh on him," she whispered, gaining surprised attention from her son.

"And please don't listen to anything harsh said about him," she continued.

"Mother, what's-"

"I'm sorry Sasuke, it's just that the boy gets enough abuse as it is," she whispered once more, making the raven swallow and Tsunade's words come rushing back to him.

'_Uzumaki-kun is abused by his father. That's the cause of most of those marks.'_

"Mother- is it true that he's abused? By his father?" Sasuke asked, looking down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers, missing Mikoto's surprised look.

"How did you find out?" she replied. Sasuke shrugged.

"It's been going around the school," he told his mother, who just sighed and placed a hand on her son's head, ruffling his hair.

"You'd do best to leave it alone," she told her son, kissing him on the forehead. Sasuke frowned but nodded, watching as his mother took two Paracetamol from the cupboard and downed them with a cup of water.

"I'm gunna take a shower then I'll be off, okay?" she told her son, who just nodded in response. She set off up the stairs, leaving Sasuke where he was in the kitchen. The raven sighed before sitting down and leaning on his hands, deep in thought.

'_Naruto's abused by his father but yet he stands mute in school- not going for any help. Tsunade always says 'this time' as if he's constantly in the infirmary. I know that he does get bullied a lot, but could it really be that bad? Sakura's told me he self-harms but he doesn't necessarily look depressed or like the person who would. As soon as he turned thirteen he turned 'mute' and that was when he disappeared for a while too. What's going on?'_ Sasuke's internal debate showed on his face in the form of furrowed eyebrows as he thought more and more on the situation.

'_There was also the redhead with him all those years ago- Kyuubi, I think his name was- what happened to him? I'm sure the two were relatives. What happened to his cheeks- he never had them before- in fact, when he disappeared in year eight was when he came back with the scars. Could it be that-'_ Onyx eyes widened in understanding.

"Holy shit!" his whispers cursed as he drew the laptop forward that was in front of him. He flipped the cover open and pulled up the internet.

"Sasuke, I'm off!" his mother called. Sasuke snapped out of his daze to see his mother off.

"Have a good evening," she told him before making her way down the drive in her nurse's uniform and getting into the car. Sasuke waved her down the road before bolting back indoors and onto the laptop. Towards the end of year seven, Naruto had disappeared for a few months. Most theories gauged on him skiving or being kidnapped- nobody really cared about his disappearance- but then there was the way that Tsunade had been acting really nervous at that time. Sasuke was sure there had been some media coverage on the story, so he decided to look it up on the internet.

He scoured through many pages involving the disappearance but came up with nothing. He sighed in frustration and slammed his head onto the keyboard- accidentally making it go onto a random page. He looked up with a growl, about to click the 'back' button when something caught his eye.

'_Young boy found beaten at side of road, aged 13'_ Sasuke's eyes widened and he thought he was going to throw up when he was greeted by pictures of a bloodied and half-dead Naruto being placed onto a stretcher. His face was scratched, almost unrecognisable, but Sasuke could make out the thing lines that were photo-still- pouring with red. His hands clasped over his mouth as he read the article of the local newspaper. The police didn't bother, assuming it to be a bully attack. Sasuke checked the date of the article. 23rd July. Sasuke swallowed and kept on scrolling down. There had been no signs of forced entry in the blond's room where he was taken from that evening but only a small drawing of a fox- artistically drawn with nine tails at that point- and a short note on the back saying '_I'm coming back for you,'_. There was a scan-in of the drawing and Sasuke took time to admire its beauty before going back to the article. He frowned as he caught the words 'must have been somebody the victim knew personally'. As far as Sasuke knew, the blond didn't have many friends at that point in his school career- enemies, yes- but Sasuke doubted the blond would be stupid enough to actually let a person into his home that he didn't like. Onyx eyes blinked as realisation dawned on him. The police were idiots! Sasuke frowned, looking at the time when his stomach let out a loud rumble. His eyes widened- it was almost 9pm- he'd been searching for almost four hours. Shaking his head, the raven went to the freezer to pull out a pizza and threw it into the oven. His head was going over the facts he had learned and found out through his searching. If his guesses were correct, Naruto's brother Kyuubi had ran away at some point, leaving just Naruto and his father at home. Angry and still upset about his wife's death, the father ended up abusing Naruto- not physically, just emotionally. At one point, Kyuubi had contacted the blond to say he was coming home. Naruto was obviously overjoyed by the idea and let him in without hesitation.

'_The two were planning on running away together. Kyuubi'd be about 21 at this point so he'd have his own place,'_ Sasuke countered in his mind. Obviously his father was against that notion and caught up with the two when they were on the road. Kyuubi could run away whilst Naruto could only obey his father- or not catch up with his older brother. Sasuke could envision it. The two running from an enraged father, but in the end, a tan hand slipping from a slightly paler and much larger one. He could see it in his mind's eye as the redhead ran on, unwillingly leaving the blond to fall behind as he ran on. Furious, the blond's father would catch him and teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget. Sasuke shuddered- no matter how annoying the blond was, he didn't deserve the abuse he was burdened with. Sasuke sighed, resting his cheek on his hand in thought about the events that he'd heard had happened with the blond. A beeping cut out his thoughts and he turned to the oven to see his pizza was already cooked. The raven just blinked before removing the food from the oven and setting it on the side to cool. He withdrew a knife from the cutlery drawer and decided to cut the pizza into eighths, saving his mother half for when she came back after her shift. He sat back down at the dining room table with his half of the pizza on a plate before going back to researching more on the blond. He was interested when a small article pooped up about someone by the name of 'Kushina Uzumaki'. Sasuke frowned, recalling that the blond had lost his mother at a young age. Curious, he clicked on the link, eyes widening once more as he was assaulted by the image of at least twenty body bags, red hair spilling from underneath one and a blond boy being dragged away by a redhead that looked as though he was in his early teens. Sasuke gulped at the headline.

'_24 SHOT DEAD IN SCHOOL SHOOT-OUT'_

Sasuke didn't feel as though he'd be able to read the article but his impatient curiosity overwhelmed the nausea and fear. He skimmed through the article to see how Naruto was connected and saw his eyes widen in the reflection of the screen.

'_One woman, Uzumaki Kushina, tried to apprehend the gunman as he turned his weapon on both of her sons. She managed to beat him but unfortunately, a shot was fired, killing her instantly in front of the sons she was trying to protect. She had been attending the elder sibling's Parents' Evening when it occurred and brought the younger along as there was nobody else home. The younger boy then valiantly fought the gunman after the incident, but it ended with him being knocked out as the gunman resumed with his rampage, killing 23 others before he was finally apprehended. Another two victims of the shoot-out were the renowned CEO of Uchiha Corps- Fugaku Uchiha- and his son Itachi.' _Sasuke didn't know what upset him more- the fact that a three year old boy had tried to protect his mother or the fact that he had failed to protect the woman. He shook his head, thanking God it was a Friday evening and he didn't have school the next day. He frowned, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand once more.

"Why'd you put up with this?" the raven mused out loud, sighing when he couldn't think of an answer. He decided to turn his attention to his food and sat there in silence, contemplating all of the information he had learned. Now that he thought about it, there were only two rational reasons as to why the blond would stay with his father. He was either scared, or he thought it was normal. Sasuke sighed once more before finishing off his pizza and checking out the time. He blinked when he saw that it was quarter to ten. Irritated that most of his evening had been taken up by researching the blond, he decided to go into the lounge and flop himself down on the settee, intent on watching some television.

Sasuke didn't know when he'd fallen asleep; he just knew that he was being woken up at quarter past one by the ringing of the house phone. Clumsily, his pale slim fingers grasped the electronic mobile device and placed it to his ear.

"Ny'ello?" he asked sloppily. In the background, there was the sound of rushing bodies and shouting.

"Sasuke, Mikoto's collapsed!" the voice of the Uchihas' family doctor, Uchiha Shisui, came barrelling down the line. Instantly, tiredness was replaced with fear.

"What happened? Is she okay?" he rushed to ask. Shisui just sighed on the other end.

"We've determined the cause as stress but if you'd like to see her I could come and pick you up?" he asked. Sasuke bit his bottom lip.

"Yes please," he replied, clutching the phone to his ear tightly. Within ten minutes, there was a knock at the door and Sasuke was ready to stay overnight at the hospital with his duffle bag in hand. He was met with a raven haired man and he smiled slightly as he entered the car. The drive was quiet apart from the gentle thrum of the engine and soft beats of the late night radio. Sasuke leant on the window, staring out at the deserted streets and the glowing steps that were lit up by streetlights.

"So it was stress?" Sasuke asked, wanting to make sure it wasn't anything else serious. Shisui nodded in his seat, eyes set on the road ahead. Sasuke sighed and Shisui sent him a look of understanding.

"I know how you're feeling, Sasuke- she's my sister as well as your mother," he told the boy, who nodded against the glass. He looked to his uncle with pleading eyes.

"I just don't want to be told that it's back- there haven't been any signals for so long," he almost choked at that but Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder as he kept on driving.

"She's fine, Sasuke. We even gave her a CT scan to be sure and there's nothing there." He stated to the younger Uchiha who just sighed in relief. Shisui smiled slightly as he pulled into the hospital, taking up the space that was reserved for employees. The raven walked in, looking around before he spotted his mother coming out of the on-call room. He made a beeline for the woman and smiled as he approached, pulling her in for a hug.

"You should be resting, mother," he almost scolded. Mikoto shrugged and just held her son at arm's length by his shoulders.

"You needn't have come. I was perfectly okay," she told the raven teen who just shrugged in response.

"I was worried, Ma," he told Mikoto who just smiled gently in return.

"I see you packed your overnight duffle- you're welcome to steal a bed in the on-call room," she told her son, patting him on the cheek before walking off to attend some patients. Sasuke just sighed and entered the room, ditching his bag onto the floor and sitting on the bottom bunk of one of the bunk beds. He was bored, truthfully, and so he decided to go exploring in the hospital. The floors squeaked under his converse but Sasuke ignored the noise, just settling for travelling into various places. He'd just turned down a corridor when he felt a vibration in his back pocket.

'_Standing on the rooftops; everybody scream your heart out!_' Sasuke jumped at the sudden noise but pulled out his phone, surprised to see that it was Kiba- a friend-slash-annoyance – calling him. Confused, he flipped his mobile phone screen up to answer.

"Care to tell me why your gracing me with your voice at two in the morning?" he asked sceptically- even though he wasn't asleep, Sasuke was still annoyed at the fact that Kiba would contact him at an hour such as this.

"Shut up Uchiha, this is urgent!" Kiba spoke in a voice that made Sasuke's insides freeze.

"Kiba, what's wrong?" he asked the dog-lover. By the silence, he could tell that Kiba was biting his lower lip, trying to decide whether or not to actually relay the information he had picked up.

"Tsunade's appointed you as Naruto's looker-outer right?" Kiba asked and Sasuke frowned.

"How did you know?" he quizzed, sitting down on a plastic chair by the entrance. A sigh marred the other side of the line and he could easily picture the brunet running a hand over his face.

"Shit like that gets around. In fact, you'll most probably find out soon what's going on. You're at the hospital, right?" Kiba asked. Sasuke snorted.

"I see your crystal ball is accurate this evening, oh mighty soothsayer!" Sasuke quipped sarcastically. Kiba chuckled dryly.

"Whatever- just...be prepared," Kiba warned the boy before hanging up, leaving the raven to contemplate what going to happen. Just as he thought he had a grasp on the situation, a gurney was pushed in, several paramedics working on one body. Sasuke felt his mobile phone slip from between his hand as he noticed blond spikes and tanned skin. He noticed also how his mother was one of the first on the scene. Not knowing what to do, Sasuke followed the gurney but was stopped by an arm across his chest when the paramedics entered the ER. Sasuke looked up to be met with a pair of soft grey eyes. The man also had silver hair but was far from old- he was wearing a surgeon's mask and had an eye-patch over his left eye.

"Calm, Sasuke. He'll be fine," the doctor- Kakashi Hatake according to his nametag- soothed, taking the Uchiha to the staff room for a hot drink. Sasuke sat there, cradling the mug in his hands for at least ten minutes with the older surgeon looking over him, arms folded across his chest and slouched in his seat.

"You okay?" he asked the quiet boy. Sasuke just sighed, staring into the dregs of his tea.

"Not really, no. I don't know why but for some reason I feel compelled to help him out. I mean, I barely know him and the times I did talk to him, I was an asshole of epic proportions!" Sasuke reasoned, staring at his own reflection in the shallow tea waste. Kakashi chuckled.

"Tsunade also assigned you to look out for him as well, didn't she?" he asked. Sasuke growled.

"How does everybody know this?" he snarled. Kakashi just chuckled once more.

"She lets slip after a few bottles of saké," Kakashi informed. Sasuke just nodded.

"All I did was stop him from drowning in a shower," he told the older man quietly. Kakashi just nodded.

"There are many others that would've just left him there," Kakashi supplied thoughtfully. Sasuke frowned.

"That's what Tsunade said," he commented. Kakashi chuckled and leant forward.

"It's because it's true. Sasuke, it's vital that Naruto has someone look out for him, and I think you can do that- are you up for it?" Kakashi asked seriously. Sasuke swallowed.

"I'm up for it- I'm just not too sure that Naruto would enjoy my company," he told the older man honestly. Kakashi just hummed thoughtfully.

"This is true- you were a bit of a bastard- but Naruto is kind-hearted and forgiving above anything else. Prove to him that you genuinely want to look out for him and we may eventually make some progress," Kakashi told Sasuke seriously, who just nodded in return, raven bangs swinging slightly.

"What do I need to do?" he asked. Kakashi smiled- at least Sasuke thought he did- and leant forward.

"Make sure he stays out of trouble- at odd times you may need to comfort him, but you might not know when those times come- he's good at hiding his emotions behind a mask," he told the raven, who just nodded in response.

"Anything else?" he asked the silver-haired man.

"At some point, we'll need you to get into his house and record his father abusing him. We need evidence, Sasuke. I'm sure you can guess what happened to him this evening," Kakashi trailed off and Sasuke could only assume the worst.

"Was it his dad?" he asked. Kakashi sighed.

"Where else would he be at such a late hour?" he retorted. Sasuke swallowed, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. His clenched fist slammed down onto the table, making the teacups hop about.

"DAMMIT!" he roared, trying to calm his tremors.

"He's an idiot! He needs to get away!" he ground out from between his clenched teeth. Kakashi just sighed once more.

"This is why I want you to help. He may not admit it, but Naruto's struggling. Minato suffers from multiple personality disorder and not to mention he's bipolar. Somehow he's managed to keep Naruto out of safety and in the house- but we need Naruto out. When the master's confused, it's the dog that gets hurt," Kakashi commented. Sasuke swallowed and nodded.

"Kakashi- I was looking some stuff up on Naruto-"

"Stalker," the older man quipped with an amused eye. Sasuke just growled.

"I'm being serious. Anyways, I was looking up some stuff and I came across a particular news article. The shoot-out where I lost Father and Itachi; Naruto also lost his mother. Did Itachi ever tell you about a friend called Kyuubi?" the raven asked, curiosity filling his voice. Kakashi hummed in thought, tapping his chin before a scowl overtook his features.

"Ah, yes. That little used to visit Itachi when I was babysitting along with his friend Shukaku!" Kakashi told the teen, leaning onto his hand.

"Always a bunch of brats; knocking lamps over, playing pranks, stealing my books and once they even tried to set a load of fireworks off in your room," Kakashi reminisced with a scowl on his face. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Do you know what happened to Kyuubi and Shukaku after...the incident?" Sasuke asked, swallowing slightly. Kakashi frowned but decided not to question the questions.

"I heard that Kyuubi and Shukaku ran off together about two weeks afterwards. Why did you want to know?" the silver-haired man asked. Sasuke shrugged- feeling that his hypothesis was correct. If Naruto's father did indeed make those marks, then that itself was substantial evidence- but they needed the boy to cry out for himself, otherwise they'd never be able to protect him. Another beeping noise distracted him from his musings and he turned to see Kakashi pulling out his pager with widened eyes.

"Naruto's in a stable condition- he's unconscious, but stable," he informed the raven. Sasuke nodded and stood up from his place on the chair.

"Which room?" he asked the man. Kakashi held a knowing glint in his eye as he stood up opposite the Uchiha.

"Floor three, Second Wing, room two," Kakashi stated, earning a formal bow in thanks from Sasuke which he returned in kind.

"Thanks for the tea and talk Kakashi but if you'll excuse me, I have an Uzumaki to befriend," he dismissed himself, grabbing his duffle bag from the on-call room as he went. He eventually found the blond's room after many wrong turns and misdirection's given from interns and doubled back slightly from the sight. The blond was connected with a few wires, bandages on his arms, chest, neck and Sasuke was sure that there'd be some on his legs and back too. An oxygen mask was placed over the delicate and small mouth that had long since been in use. Sasuke sucked in a shaky breath and approached the blond, taking residence on the small chair that sat beside the head of the bed. As Sasuke neared the blond, he couldn't help but think about how fragile he looked. Not twelve hours ago he was running around like mad, kicking a ball into a goal but now here he was, delicately linked up to tubes. A pale hand ran gently through blond locks and Sasuke had to steel himself from doing anything else. The childlike innocence was practically screaming to him, demanding affection, attention, control. Sasuke just chuckled and leant down onto the soft blanket slightly.

"Silly dobe. I'll be here to help when you wake up. Don't worry."

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*~**Teacups and Carousels**~*

*~**Part I: End**~*

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**So, here we have the first part of 'Teacups and Carousels'. It's really different from what I usually write, and I have a feeling that Sasuke is slightly OOC. Ah well, all I can really do is see if you guys liked it enough to review :3 So, the next part should be out... not so soon- three weeks maybe? I mean, this took me about two weeks to write (I have time limits on my PC plus exams) but as I'm camping all next week... well, yeah. **

**~Until the next Part**


	2. Part II

**Teacups and Carousels**

**xCastielsGirlx**

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**Full Summary: **Uzumaki Naruto- supposed mute and victim of child abuse. Uchiha Sasuke- a boy in Naruto's year who just so happened to be dragged into his life. As things start to spiral and Naruto becomes lost, can Sasuke save him from falling too far and being lost forever?

**Author's Note:** *sniff* it's official- my memory stick... it's DEAD! *sobs in corner* It had so many updates but then my little sister just HAD to bend it when it was plugged in- the solder joint, we could fix- but the track on the PCB was broken and the internal wires were stressed to much (this is my electronics talking.) But I got a new one for my birthday so it's all good! 4 GB. I love you guys for the reviews- thanks for the support! xCastielsGirlx loves you! MWA!

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**PLEASE DON'T SKIP OVER THE WARNING AS I DON'T WANT TO BE FLAMED LATER FOR NOT TELLING YOU!**_**!**_**!**

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**Warnings:** Heavy abuse in this chapter. Kill me now viewers! Also, language and violence with some attempts at humour. Slight SasuNaru Shounen-ai at the end.

The most important warning, I feel, however, is this one right here**: Mentions of past rape.**

**Disclaimer: ** Masashi Kishimoto owns all Naruto characters- and believe me, you'll be glad he does when you read this… I just… I'm sorry *sobs in corner* I feel awful. You should shoot me.

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_***~**__**Teacups and Carousels**__**~***_

_***~**__**Part II**__**~***_

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Cerulean blue eyes cracked open hours later to be met with a white tiled ceiling. Confused and aching, the blond took a moment to observe the ceiling, just to double check that he wasn't in some stranger's house being held against his will. His chest felt heavy, along with his legs arms and his neck was uncomfortably numb. He sighed in realisation at what had happened, feeling an oxygen mask over his mouth as he did so. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion; it hadn't been that bad, from what he remembered. He'd only been beaten for half an hour- that was only about half the time than usual.

He could feel wires and tubes exiting from his arm and he heavily sighed, knowing that there would be questions later on from Jiraiya- especially seeing, as he was chief of Police. However, Naruto knew better than cry out- he'd lose his remaining family if he did and he didn't want that one bit. His father was all that he had left. He still loved him, but he didn't want to lose him to something as- what he presumed to be- mundane as a beating. All he knew was that his father had a problem and so it wasn't his fault for what he did.

"Well hello there," came a soft voice. Naruto couldn't help it. Despite the amounts of wires coming from his body and his injured limbs, he jumped up to scream at the top of his lungs, snapping the elastic on the oxygen mask. A panicked alabaster hand made its way to cover the mouth before any more noise could be made to alert any nurses. Cerulean blue locked with familiar onyx and widened in response, more noises vibrating against the hand that was covering his mouth.

"Jeez dobe! Do you want to make the nurses come running in?" he hissed, shifting in his chair. It was then that Naruto calmed down, screaming coming to a halt as he tried to breathe properly. Sasuke frowned when the blond patted the alabaster hand over his mouth. Sasuke frowned.

"You're not going to scream again are you?" he asked. Naruto shook his head, motioning to his lungs before Sasuke finally got the message.

"Oh, sorry!" he apologised as he pulled his hand away, making the blond gasp dramatically for air. The blond coughed slightly as he brought the air back into his lungs that had been starved of the object of their preferring.

"Teme, what are you doing here?" he asked defensively. Sasuke opened his mouth to answer when Naruto growled.

"You've come to gloat, haven't you? You're here to laugh at the abused gypsy boy. Go on- let it out then!" he growled, pulling his knees to his chest and fisting the sheets in front of him. Sasuke blinked at the reaction before sighing, leaning forward and taking the blond's hands away from the blankets.

"I'm not here to gloat, dobe." He told the blond softly, who just looked up, a little shimmer of hope visible in his eyes. Sasuke saw this and smiled gently.

"My mother collapsed here due to stress but she was okay. I was planning to spend the night when you were brought in. I thought that you'd like to wake up to see someone by your bedside," he explained gently. Naruto narrowed his eyes and scowled.

"I don't need your pity, jackass!" he snapped. Sasuke almost groaned aloud when he thought over his words. He looked to the blond with something akin to distress in his eyes.

"Dammit dobe, I'm trying to be nice here!" he snapped. Naruto turned his fierce gaze onto the raven before a snarl overtook his features.

"And I just told you that I don't want your niceness- it's the same as pity you asshole! Leave me alone!" he yelled, hugging his arms around his stomach. Sasuke noted this and his eyes softened. He'd taken to doing that a lot after his brother and father had passed away. He'd lie awake at night, arms around himself as if hoping that it'd be his older brother, wrapping his arms around him and telling him that everyone was okay. He'd been doing that when he'd been in need of a hug- or any sort of comfort- for the first few weeks after their deaths. He had no idea how long the blond had been doing it for, but he decided that he could at least do him a favour and offer him some comfort. He sighed and shifted in his seat before leaning forward and pulling the blond into a hug, being mindful of his wires at the same time.

"What are you doing?_! _Get off!" he yelled, struggling. Despite what he yelled at the raven, he couldn't help but think that it felt…_nice_ to have some contact that wasn't a sharp hand or a heavy fist. He shoved weakly at the broad shoulders, hoping to dislodge the Uchiha.

"I said get _off_!" he struggled, trying to contain the hot tears that were rising to the surface. Sasuke just held him tighter, not giving him an option. He could feel the tremors wracking through the smaller boy as he held him closer than he'd liked.

"LET GO!" the blond screamed, no longer fighting the tears as they cascaded down his cheeks like a salty waterfall, but still pushing against the raven with all his might.

"I don't need your pity! I don't want your comfort!" he sobbed. His actions contradicted his words however, as he placed his forehead to the raven's shoulder and sobbed roughly, tears dampening the graphic t-shirt. They stayed like that for at least ten minutes before the tears and sobs eventually dried out and the blond was just staring into a tear soaked shoulder, eyes feeling as though they had been doused in seawater. The occasional hiccup escaped from his throat, but Sasuke just rubbed his back and made soothing noises.

"It's okay, dobe," he whispered, earning a small, wet chuckle.

"Teme, I'm not a dobe," Naruto whispered, pulling back and wiping at his eyes. Sasuke just sighed and pulled a packet of tissues from his back pocket, handing one to the blond, who just took it and blew his nose. Sasuke smiled a little at the sight before settling back into his chair.

"Why are you here Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not wanting to make eye contact now that he had completely broken down in front of him. Sasuke just looked at the blond who was intently staring at the blankets in front of him.

"I wanted to apologise for the almighty asshole I've been over the years," he grimaced when Naruto snorted and fixed him with a glare.

"You mean the biggest asshole within the whole of the asshole community- in fact, I'm sure they erected a shrine of you somewhere in asshole heaven to worship," he continued. Sasuke flinched at the explanation and looked at his lap.

"I know- I wasn't pleasant at all. I… I want to change that. I want to be friends," he whispered. Naruto blinked twice at that before he shrunk back.

"You've made a bet, haven't you?" he asked. Sasuke frowned

"What do you-"

"Well you can tell whoever paid you and Kiba to fuck off and that I'll hunt them down to break their legs!" he snarled, a vicious look on his face. Sasuke blinked before understanding dawned upon him.

"You think we're being paid? Fuck, Naruto- who'd do that?" he asked, stressed at the fact the blond wouldn't believe him.

"You and your little posse of populars! I'm not going to be the object of your amusement!" he snapped, pushing Sasuke away from him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You really are a dobe! Why won't you believe me when I say I want to be your friend?" he snapped. Naruto rounded on him, a tiny flicker of shame passing through his eyes before being covered with anger.

"Because I've never had a friend before!" he yelled back, a small blush grazing his cheeks. Sasuke's face softened and at last, he understood why it was so hard for the blond to trust others when they said they wanted to be his friend.

"Dobe, I really do want to be your friend- how can I get you to trust me enough to understand that?" he asked gently. Naruto huffed and turned around, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't know," he replied softly, sadness gracing his features. Sasuke sighed and reached a hand out to touch the blond's shoulder but stopped when he noticed a flinch. He withdrew his hand before throwing all caution to the wind and placing it on the shoulder anyway.

"Just trust me, Naruto. I swear I won't betray you," he told the blond, looking right into blue eyes with his own holding nothing but sincerity and promises. Naruto looked torn at what to do- he'd never let his guard down this far before and his mask already had acquired a huge crack since the day Sasuke had saved him from a showery death. He didn't even trust Kiba that much, even though he had agreed to be the brunet's friend. He could hang out with Kiba and laugh and joke...but… but Sasuke was asking for his _trust_! It was something the blond had never given anyone before- not even his father when he was in one of his good moods. Why did Sasuke want his trust? It was like asking for his virginity in his opinion- something not to be given lightly.

"I… I-"

Sasuke seemed to sense his distress as he just squeezed the shoulder gently in his grasp and looked the blond in the eyes.

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just asking to be your friend. If it takes even fifty years or an entire lifetime for you to trust me, I understand. I just want you to be able to tell me when you're upset so I can make it better," he muttered. Naruto swallowed a few times, casting a glance around the hospital room as if to check for any traps before he shyly nodded. Sasuke saw the small nod and he felt his heart lift slightly. He removed his hand and leaned back in his seat. Naruto threw him a confused look when Sasuke asked him a question.

"So, Naruto, do you have a favourite animal?" Cerulean blue eyes blinked at the question before a small smile took over his face.

"I like foxes. How about you?"

Mikoto stood outside, smiling slightly as she watched the two boys' converse about several mundane things. A shadow covered her form and she spun on the spot, not surprised at who she saw.

"Hello there, Jiraiya. Come to ask him what happened I presume?" she asked the shaggy-haired male whose long white hair was pulled back into a rough and low ponytail. The man snorted and folded his arms across his chest, which adorned a shiny 'Chief of Police' badge. He just snorted, eyeing the blond teen that was still talking to the raven and had become bold enough to move a little closer and talk with even more enthusiasm.

"I'm going to at least _try_ to get something out of him. He never remembers, apparently," he replied. Mikoto sighed and placed a hand on the broad shoulder in consolation.

"Good luck," she whispered, walking off to attend to some other patients. Jiraiya just sighed, pushing the door open and striding in. Naruto faced the older man with a small smile on his face whilst Sasuke just looked at the man with a small amount of nervousness- Chief of Police or not, this man had an aura around him that said 'If you mess with me or my Family- I'll kill you'.

"Hey Ero, what's up?" Naruto asked from his place on the bed. Kind grey eyes narrowed at the nonchalant tone the boy was using and a small growl threatened to burst through; but he kept it at bay so as not to startle the boy.

"Nothing much brat. I'm here to ask you what happened," he commented. A small frown overtook the features of the blond and he looked up into the other's eyes, not knowing what to say. So he decided on the usual excuse.

"I can't rem-"

"Can't remember. What are you, a freaking amnesiac? Naruto, you _never_ remember but when it comes to grudges, you never forget! Tell me what the fuck went on last night! It had to be bad for you to have been hospitalised!" Jiraiya snapped, making the younger boy shrink back. He glanced around shakily and grabbed the blankets in front of him to stop his hands from shaking. Sasuke noticed how the boy became withdrawn when it came to the subject. It was almost as if he was ashamed- as if he thought, it was his own fault for being hospitalised and abused.

"I-I really _don't_ remember this time," he whispered gently. Jiraiya eyed him with something akin to disappointment.

"Dammit Naruto, if you won't tell me, then I'll just have to tell you," he growled lowly, pulling out a few files which included Minato's report on what had happened and a print out of the call to the emergency services. He cleared his throat and looked to the boy who had shrunk back even further in shame before he turned his gaze onto the younger Uchiha.

"You're aware of his situation?" he asked almost coldly. Sasuke nodded in reply.

"Yes sir," he replied. Jiraiya returned his nod before clearing his throat and reading the report.

"You returned home twenty minutes late from school yesterday, didn't you Naruto?" he asked the blond, who nodded gently in reply, still averting his eyes from everything apart from the hospital bed-sheets that were scrunched up in his fists.

"And how did your father respond to that?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto frowned, wracking his brains for the right memory- but more importantly, the right thing to say so that he didn't end up in the orphanage.

"H-he yelled at me and sent me to my room. That was the end of it," he whispered. The answer obviously didn't satisfy the older man however, seeing as as soon as Naruto had finished his sentence, he growled lowly in his throat.

"Dammit Naruto, don't lie about the abu-"

"DON'T YOU DARE! HOW DO YOU HAVE THE GALL TO ACCUSE MY FATHER OF SUCH A HORRID THING?_!_" Naruto screamed at the older man, face staining red in his anger. Jiraiya's jaw dropped at that but he snapped it closed, narrowing his eyes once more.

"Stop over-reacting! We all know that you're being abus-" he was cut-off however, when a fist crashed into his cheek and he found himself on the floor being straddled by an angry blond.

"Don't SAY that!" Naruto yelled, wrapping his fingers loosely around the other man's neck. Sasuke stood up, shocked at the fact the blond had ripped several wires out of himself to attack the Chief of Police. He stood up in shock to approach the blond.

"Naruto! Let go of him!" he yelled, pulling the blond back by his shoulders. Naruto struggled against the raven that was pulling him back.

"Dammit Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, finally pulling the blond away from the older man and restraining him.

"You're going to burst your fucking stitches you moron!" Sasuke yelled, now concerned for the blond's health as he was still making swipes at Jiraiya.

"I don't care! He's not taking my father away!" The blond yelled, lessening his struggles with an upset voice.

"He _can't_ take him away!" he whispered brokenly, collapsing against the Uchiha's hold. Jiraiya was sitting up and wiping his lip free of blood from where the blond had hit him hard. Sasuke was at a loss of what to say. The blond knew what was going on, but he wouldn't cry out.

Just when was he going to give up?

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…_***~**__**Teacups and Carousels**__**~*…**_

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The rain hammered against the windows of the kitchen as Naruto spooned instant coffee into two mugs. It had been three weeks since he had been discharged from the hospital; and what a three weeks they'd been. Naruto was surprised that when he returned to school, not only did Sasuke and Kiba wish to be his friend, but he was also approached by Sakura Haruno- another prefect. He'd warily accepted her friendship- but he was still looking out for any traps; it was hard for him to trust them all. However, after seeing Sakura, Sasuke and Kiba approach Orochimaru and Kabuto to hang them from the school flagpole by their boxers for beating Naruto up, he had to reconsider a little.

The blond sighed as he looked out of the window. It was Friday evening and his dad had given him the weekend off work in apology for his behaviour. He was in one of his good moods when he woke up the day before and had been quiet and contemplative. Naruto had acted normally, not wanting to make the man feel rejected. He had been glad, however, when he'd awoken to ramen in bed and the day off school, a free weekend and a promise that he could invite a friend over to stay for the night on Friday. Naruto had promptly thanked his father and phoned the Uchiha to invite him to stay, informing him that his father was in a good mood, at least for a week.

Sasuke had also been calling him every day for the past few weeks to see how he was doing. Naruto wasn't very sure about how to go about this. He'd accepted the Uchiha's friendship, but he didn't know that it came with a morning and evening phone call to check on how he was doing. The blond had a distinct feeling that either Mikoto or Jiraiya had put him up to it, but he enjoyed the fact that he could just talk for a while to someone other than himself or his dad's shouting personality. He sighed, looking once more out of the kitchen window in time to see a light blue Volkswagen Golf pull into the drive. He smiled slightly as his dad clambered out and closed the door before arriving at the front door. Naruto poured the water into the mug, stirring it in with the coffee granules and adding milk as the sound of keys being turned in a lock reached his ears. He walked down the hallway with a smile and handed his dad one of the cups of coffee as he took off his shoes and hung his coat up on the rack.

"Welcome home, Dad. How was the Fair?" Naruto asked, trying to keep the conversation light and happy. Minato turned a happy gaze to his son.

"It went well- we had a few schools there, despite the rain. Little gaggle of terrors were on all the rides all the time." He chuckled, earning a beaming smile from the younger blond. They moved into the kitchen where Minato leant against the side whereas Naruto leant against the sink.

"What time is Sasuke coming over?" Minato asked, sipping at his coffee lightly. Naruto hummed in thought.

"Six, I think," he replied with a smile. Minato took in the small sign of happiness on his son's face and felt his gut clench. No matter how hard he tried, he could never make his son as happy as this 'Sasuke' could. He just sighed before placing his coffee mug down.

"Do you want me to drive you boys down to the store to buy some movies and games?" he asked gently. Naruto turned to his father with a small smile.

"I know we have the money, Dad, but I don't want to inconvenience you," he replied softly. Minato's heart clenched then. This was how it always was, even when he was abusive. Naruto always made it out that he was the one who needed his father when in reality; it was the other way around. A few weeks ago, he'd been so close to hitting that brunet child but Naruto had stopped him. He was lucky his son was still by his side.

"It'll be fine, son. I don't mind. I could order some pizza too," he told the boy, who just grinned.

"You sure you don't mind?" Naruto asked. Minato smiled gently.

"Of course I don't," he replied. Naruto grinned.

"All right! You're awesome, Dad! He cried out in joy, pumping his fist into the air. Minato grinned.

"So where do you and Sasuke plan on sleeping?" he asked once his son had stopped doing his 'happy dance'. Naruto hummed in contemplation, a finger on his chin.

"It depends where we pass out really," he grinned nervously, scratching the back of his head. Minato chuckled.

"You know where the blankets are," he replied softly. Naruto nodded when the ringing of the house phone caught their attention. Naruto frowned, checking the time before his eyes widened in realisation.

"Ah! It's most probably Sasuke!" he told his father before going over to the kitchen phone and answering it with a flourish.

"Namikaze-Uzumaki household! Who's speaking?" Naruto asked. There was a soft chuckle on the other end that made Naruto completely relax- he didn't even know why he was so tense in the first place.

"Do you always answer the phone like that?" the deep baritone of Sasuke's voice streamed down the phone and Naruto sighed, leaning against the kitchen wall.

"You would know, stalker," he joked with a laugh. Sasuke joined in and Naruto felt his heart swell at the noise.

"Teme, you called?" he asked, earning a reprimanding 'language!' from his father. Sasuke chuckled once more, also leaning on his kitchen wall in his house.

"Such a potty mouth, dobe," he replied teasingly, earning a disapproving frown and 'don't be so mean' from his mother. Naruto burst out laughing at that.

"Yeah, yeah. We all know our parents are monitoring our phone conversations; are you going to answer my question?" he asked teasingly. Sasuke snorted.

"Not now that you've asked," he replied, earning a playful growl from the blond.

"Okay, okay. Basically, my Mum has to go in to work a little bit earlier than she expected. Is it okay if I'm half an hour early?" Sasuke asked, fiddling with the cord on the phone. Naruto hummed in contemplation before relaying the information to his father. There was some muttering and noises of agreement heard over the phone before Sasuke was finally graced with his answer.

"We could come and pick you up now and go to the store to buy some games and movies," he told the raven, who then told his mother the information.

"Sounds great," Sasuke replied firmly. Naruto chuckled.

"See you in a bit then Sasuke," he told the raven who, unbeknownst to the blond, let out a smile before bidding him farewell and a promise to see him soon. Naruto was just about to hang up when a yell on the other end caught his attention.

"What? Oh…yeah… you too," he replied before finally hanging up, wondering why the raven would tell him to 'take care'. He shrugged it off and turned to his dad that looked a little downcast.

"Hey Dad, what's up?" he asked, sitting opposite his father on the table. Minato looked up and sighed.

"Nothin'. C'mon, we better go pick Sasuke up," he replied softly. Naruto frowned as they entered the car and pulled out of the drive. The silence that descended was heavy as Minato typed Sasuke's address into the Sat-Nav.

"Dad, I know something's wrong," Naruto told his father. Minato sighed and stared ahead with upset eyes.

"You know that despite what I do, I _do_ love you, right son?" he asked. Naruto frowned and nodded.

"Of course dad, I love you too," he replied eagerly. Minato sighed.

"A-are you g-gay?" he asked, looking to his son. Naruto blinked before a huge blush rose to his cheeks.

"W-WHAT?_!_" he yelled. Minato flinched.

"It's just that when you were on the phone to Sasuke, you were so relaxed," he replied a little sadly. Naruto blinked twice before bursting out laughing.

"Y-you thought that m-me and S-Sasuke? HAHAHA! Dad, he's my best friend, he's meant to make me feel relaxed!" he replied, wiping away a tear of laughter. Minato blinked before frowning.

"I guess it's pretty hard to relax around me," he replied sadly. Naruto's laughter stopped there and he turned to his father.

"No, dad, don't say-"

"But it's true! I hurt you, Naruto! I should be put away!" he snapped more to himself. A look of fear crossed the face of the blond.

"Don't say that, dad. It's not your fault! If anything, it's your parents' fault! They abused _you_! I'm not some princess you need to protect or lock away in a tower!" he replied.

"Don't leave me, dad!" he whispered, turning in his seat to gaze at the older man who just sighed.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I won't ever leave you," he promised, making the blond smile with relief.

"Good! Now if you so much as mention that it's your fault again, so help me, I'll turn this car around!" Naruto joked slightly, making his father chuckle lightly.

Minato sighed, thinking back to his childhood in which he had been abused badly by his birth-parents before someone had finally put a stop to it, sending him to an orphanage- only to be adopted six months later by Tsunade, an up and coming doctor at the time who then moved on to be a school matron.

"Dad, we're here!" Naruto told the man, bringing him out of his musing. Minato looked down to the Sat-Nav. that was virtually waving a black and white checked flag to signal their arrival. Minato looked up to the house that greatly resembled his own. Naruto smiled at his father before exiting the car into the light drizzle and running up the drive to ring the doorbell. The younger blond wrapped his arms around himself as he waited for the door to be answered. Barely ten seconds later, had the front door opened, revealing the Uchiha with his overnight duffle bag.

"Hey dobe," he replied, leaning on his doorframe and crossing his arms. Naruto smiled in return.

"Hey teme, you ready to go?" Naruto asked the raven, who just returned a small smile of his own and a nod. The two made their way down the drive to the car where Naruto opened the boot to place Sasuke's duffle bag in there. Onyx eyes surveyed the boot, not failing to notice a few scratch marks on the roof of the boot lid. He shuddered, imagining the worse. He was brought out of his musings when the boot slammed shut and the blond looked to him with a smile.

"We're stopping off at the store, remember?" he told the raven, who managed a weak smile and climbed into the backseat, followed by the Uzumaki. Minato put on a playful pout as he started the engine.

"Not sitting up in the front with your old man? I feel rejected!" he sniffed playfully, earning a laugh from Naruto.

"Nope, it's me and Sasuke tonight!" he grinned, throwing an arm around the Uchiha's shoulder. Minato chuckled and looked through the rear-view mirror at Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke, it's nice to finally meet'cha! I'm Minato Namikaze, Naruto's father. Naruto's been going on and on about you!" he smirked. Sasuke smirked in reply and glanced to the blond that was in the backseat with him.

"Really? Well, I'll try not to jump him in the backseat then," he smirked, earning a full out bark of laughter from the older man.

"Careful there! I'm protective of my little boy!" he smirked. Naruto's face had risen to a colour similar to that of a boiled lobster at the comments.

"Teme!" Naruto rounded on the Uchiha.

"Language, Naruto!" Minato sternly told his son, who pouted and turned away. Sasuke smirked at the reaction.

"You look like such a girl when you do that," he muttered, but he was still heard by the blond, who growled in return.

"I'm not a girl!" he stressed, earning a small chuckle from his father.

"But weren't you comparing yourself to a princess earlier?" Minato reminded his son, earning an amused snort from the Uchiha. Naruto growled and folded his arms- avoiding the pout- but sunk back in his chair.

"I feel ganged up on!" he muttered. Sasuke smiled gently and flicked the blond in between the eyes.

"Suck it up- now what games are we going to buy?

* * *

…_***~**__**Teacups and Carousels**__**~*…**_

* * *

By Monday, the whole of the school had heard of what people liked to call the 'Orochimaru-Kabuto Boxer Flag Incident' resulting in a change in the way people approached the blond. They weren't as hurtful to him, or calling him by awful names, but instead greeting him with nervous smiles and even more apologies for their behaviour over the years. Naruto returned their smiles just as nervously but never strayed far from Sasuke's side, with Kiba on his other. Sakura was behind him, kicking his ass for making her worry when he had been in the hospital. Nevertheless, apart from that, life was good.

Naruto was sitting in his Biology class on Friday afternoon, leaning on his arm and drifting off into the comfortable confines of classroom sleep when a whiteboard pen hit his head. He snapped up to be met with his teacher, Mitarashi Anko, leering down at him.

"Well, Naruto, care to repeat what I just said to the rest of the class?" she asked, a hand on one of her hips and a small smirk on her face. Despite the fact she was calling him out, Anko had a soft spot for the blond as his mother had babysat her when she was a teenager. Naruto smirked, wracking his brains for the information he had absorbed and stored away. He looked her in the eye with a cheeky smirk.

"Diseases are more likely to spread if large numbers of pathogens enter the body as a result of unhygienic surroundings or prolonged contact with an infected person- so yes class, it can mean zombies are infections when touched for too long; so don't have sex with them. Pathogens enter the body through the air we breathe- so basically, if it was an airborne infection, we'd all be screwed- as when an infected person breathes, teeny tiny particles of moisture are released into the air, making you become a zombie," Naruto repeated, word for word, earning a few snickers from the rest of the class and a smack to the back of the head from his teacher.

"Cheeky brat; you're lucky it's the last day of school otherwise I woulda gotcha afterwards!" she smirked. Naruto just rolled his eyes and shrugged. The bell went then, signalling the end of class and- thankfully for the students- the end of the school day. Before they could all run out of the door however, Anko called for their attention.

"Remember! I want you to write about pathogens! 300 words, two scrolls of parchment!" she yelled, earning more snickers from the class. Naruto was among the ones who laughed but stopped when Anko beckoned him to come to the front of the class. Sasuke eyed the two and walked past, intending to walk with the blond. Anko shook her head at him and pointed to the door however, giving the Uchiha no option but to wait outside. He waited in the corridor for about five minutes before the door to his Biology classroom finally opened, revealing a downcast Naruto and a concerned looking Anko. She sighed and patted the blond on the shoulder as she walked away, leaving Naruto to wonder what the two had talked about. He frowned, walking up to the blond who had yet to move from where he had exited the classroom.

"Dobe, you okay?" Sasuke asked gently, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He was surprised, however, when the hand was shrugged off and the blond crashed into the raven to pull him into a hug, arms wrapped around the taller boy's waist and face buried into his chest. Sasuke was starting to panic now, not knowing what had made the blond so upset when not five minutes ago he'd been chirpier than a bird on the first morning of Spring.

"Hey, hey," he whispered, hand carding softly through blond locks. He looked down at the smaller boy, whom had his eyes squeezed shut, just focusing on the squeezing of the Uchiha.

"What's wrong? Is it your dad?" he whispered gently. The tensing in the boy's form was all the answer Sasuke needed.

"Is he in a bad mood?" Sasuke asked, trying not to push the issue too far. A nod that was barely felt was his answer. Sasuke sighed softly and pulled the blond closer.

"Come to my place. I'm sure my mother would be fine with you staying until he cools off," Sasuke told Naruto, rubbing his back slightly. Naruto stiffened at the offer and just pushed himself back with a force Sasuke didn't know that he had. The raven blinked.

"Naruto?" he asked, approaching the blond that looked slightly scared at that moment. He shook his head, not wanting to speak all too much at the moment.

"N-no. I need to get back," he breathed, turning on his heel to run away when a hand caught his wrist. He was yanked back slightly, trainers making a squeaking sound on the highly waxed and polished school corridor floors. He turned slightly to witness Sasuke's face staining red in slight anger.

"Don't you dare go back there Naruto," he whispered venomously. The blond swallowed before tugging at his wrist that was locked in Sasuke's death grip.

"Teme! Let go!" he yelled, still tugging. Sasuke walked closer.

"You're a real idiot if you think I'm going to let you go back to him. You'll get hurt!" Sasuke yelled in return, making Naruto stop slightly.

"And I'll get hurt even more if I'm late back- or if I run away! You don't _get_ it!" Naruto almost screamed, tears close to forming. Sasuke just shook his head.

"I'm not going to let you walk right into his fist!" he replied sharply, tugging the blond closer to himself. Naruto still struggled.

"You don't even know what Anko said! Why would you _bother?_!" he kept on yelling and pulling, wanting to just go home. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, onyx becoming as icy as the winter they were in as they glared into scared cerulean.

"Then enlighten me." He stated, causing the blond to shiver under the intense glare.

"H-he called her earlier when he was in a good mood- to tell her that he was going to go into a bad mood. He said that he didn't want me home when he was in this mood this time and that-"

"Then if you come with me you'll be fine!" Sasuke persisted, loosening up on his grip ever so slightly.

"You still don't get it! HE WON'T REMEMBER!" Naruto all but screamed at the raven, tears now pouring down his face.

"HE NEVER DOES! His personality change- he only remembers everything when he's in a good mood. The bad mood doesn't remember anything about the good mood! If I go in half way, he won't know that he told me to get away!" Naruto sobbed, weakly pulling his wrist away from the raven's slackened grip- a grip that had weakened with shock.

"But you need to be safe; his good personality knows that and he wants that for you!" Sasuke persisted, now lightly touching Naruto's shoulder. Naruto wiped at his eyes before looking into Sasuke's.

"You don't understand. I need him and he needs me. If I don't go to him when he's in a bad mood, he knows it when he changes back. He'll think that I've abandoned him!" Naruto whispered helplessly. Sasuke frowned, pulling the blond in for a light hug.

"Silly dobe; he'll understand," Sasuke whispered in comfort.

"You're already late back, so he'll be mad for that too. I can't stand the thought of someone hurting you," Sasuke whispered, pulling the blond closer as he sobbed slightly. The two broke away, and Naruto was unwillingly taken by Sasuke to the raven's house. All the way there, the blond kept his arms wrapped around himself and was constantly glancing over his shoulder. Sasuke sighed and turned to the blond as they approached his front door.

"Dobe, you're making it look like we just committed a crime," he joked slightly, hoping that the humour would ease the blond up slightly. If anything, it made him withdraw even more.

"Sorry," he whispered as he watched Sasuke press his keys into the lock and turn them to open the front door. It had started to snow slightly outside and the blond was shocked at the slight heat wave from the house that attacked him. His eyes widened and Sasuke rolled his eyes, pushing the blond inside gently with both hands on his shoulders.

"Go on in then, dobe," he muttered with a slight smirk. Naruto nodded and took his shoes off near the entrance. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he chucked his jacket onto the back of the sofa and dumped his bag near the front door.

"Idiot, dump your bag next to mine and I'll show you where you're sleeping until your dad cools off," Sasuke told the blond, who turned to him with a small nervous smile before gently placing his bag down next to the raven's and following him down the hall. Their footsteps were muffled by their socks and the carpet, but Naruto could still hear the heavy thumping of his heart in his chest, as he was away from his father for longer and longer. Eventually, it became overpowering and he gasped a bit and leant against the wall, sliding down it and covering his ears. Sasuke, hearing the gasp in the silence turned around to see the blond leaning against the wall, hands over his ears.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" he called, gently placing a hand on the smaller shoulder. Naruto looked up to the raven whose voice had sounded too loud in the quiet house.

"He's gunna be really mad! I don't like it!" Naruto whimpered slightly, pleading blue eyes locking onto onyx. Sasuke sighed and sat next to the blond by the wall.

"Naruto, you have to get over this fear that you have," Sasuke started, about to continue when he was interrupted.

"I don't have a fear! It's a dislikement!" he protested, looking at the wall straight ahead which held all of Sasuke's family in the photograph. Sasuke smirked slightly.

"Idiot, 'dislikement' isn't a word," he muttered. Naruto just leant against him slightly. Sasuke sighed in return, mirroring the blond's actions before continuing.

"It must be a fear if you dislike it so much. You have this look in your eyes when he's mentioned- it's a look of fear. You need to get over it Naruto if you want to continue living with him. It's not healthy for you to be living with him full-time. If you were to arrange for emancipation and then visit him with his good moods, you'll find a lot of changes," Sasuke told Naruto, who nodded slightly against the raven's shoulder, still looking ahead.

"But I'd still be abandoning him," Naruto whispered, grabbing the raven's arm. Sasuke sighed.

"His good personality knows that you need to be away. What we're doing at this moment, I don't mind becoming permanent. If we wait for him to go back to a good mood, my mother and he can talk; arrange something. What do you think?" Sasuke asked, looking down to the top of the blond's head. He saw the miniscule nod and smiled slightly.

"That's okay then. Now can we continue with the tour?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded again, letting go of the pale arm he had grabbed and standing up. Sasuke smirked once more.

"Do you want me to hold your hand?" he asked teasingly, earning a playful growl for the blond- but he was blushing slightly.

"Stuff it!" he told the raven, grabbing the pale hand and surprising the teen. Naruto looked to the side.

"What? It's a gesture of comfort!" he growled abashedly, earning a chuckle from the raven; but he didn't let go of the hand until he opened the door to a room that was directly next to his own. Naruto blinked, taking in the light blue sheets on the bed and the window that was slightly open, causing the darker blue curtains to shiver slightly. There was another blink from the blond as he took in his surroundings.

"Wow," he whispered slightly. Sasuke chuckled.

"This used to be my brother's room," he reminisced, remembering the times he would hang out in the room and play the Play Station 1 with his older brother, getting his ass handed to him on _Resident Evil_ or _Spyro_ by the computer-generated enemies. Naruto frowned.

"Won't he be mad if he comes home and finds me there?" Naruto asked, fidgeting slightly. Sasuke's eyes widened as he realised he'd never discussed his past with the blond, even though the raven practically knew everything about the blond's. He didn't mind discussing his brother or father though. He'd healed and moved on, making it slightly easier to talk about them. Sasuke smiled a little sadly.

"My father and brother died about twelve years ago," he told the blond, whose eyes instantly lowered at the news.

"O-oh, I'm sorry," he replied shakily. Sasuke just sighed and ruffled the blond's hair.

"Dobe, it's okay." He told his friend as he gave him a tour of the house, which included the kitchen, pantry, airing cupboard, bathroom, living room, his father's old study, the garden, and then finally…

"This is my room," Sasuke told the blond, after they had completed a circle of the house, ending up in the room that had initially been right next to Itachi's the whole time. Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the cream carpet, dark blue drapes and matching bed-sheets. There was a mahogany desk pushed up near the window that overlooked the large garden, showing the back lawn that was half-covered in snow. Underneath the desk, however, was a medium sized box, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. Naruto tilted his head.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the package.

"Is it your mother's Christmas present?" he asked the raven, who had gone silent and was looking to the side with a slight blush covering his cheeks. Naruto frowned slightly and tilted his head.

"Sasuke?" he asked, slightly worried as to why his friend was blushing and muttering small obscenities to himself. Onyx glanced to cerulean before he finally sighed heavily, folded his arms, and pouted slightly at the amused smirk on the blond's face.

"Dobe, it's yours," he muttered slightly, wiping the smirk from the blond's face, replacing it with a blush.

"Wh-what?" he spluttered, not believing what he'd just heard. Sasuke just growled and grabbed the present, shoving it into the blond's hands.

"Dobe, I said that it's yours!" he growled, going over to his desk drawer and pulling out an orange mobile phone. Naruto frowned as he glanced to Sasuke's trouser pocket, noting that he had a phone in there too.

"Teme, what're you-" he was cut off, however, when the present started to vibrate and a tune started playing from inside the box. Naruto looked to Sasuke's orange phone with a small fan phone charm attached. The screen was facing him, showing his name and a number. But Naruto didn't have a phone… Cerulean blue eyes glanced down to present that had stopped vibrating and making a noise as on Sasuke's phone, an automated voicemail person came up.

'_We are sorry, but the number you have called cannot be answered at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep_' Sasuke put the phone to his ear, eyes locked with blue.

"Merry Christmas, dobe," he told the phone before flipping the phone shut and hanging up. There were a few beeps from inside the box and more vibrations. Naruto swallowed and looked down to the wrapped-up parcel.

"Y-you bought me a phone?" Naruto stuttered, earning a nod from the Uchiha. Naruto blinked at that before a smile overtook his features.

"Teme! You're awesome!" He cheered, diving onto the Uchiha, who just blushed slightly and returned the violent hug gently.

"I never want to hear that voicemail though, Dobe. Every time I ring that phone, I want you to answer it!" he told the blond sternly, who just nodded in return. The blond clambered off the raven and ripped the wrappings off the box, only to open it to a dark blue phone with a red swirl phone charm. Sasuke sat to Naruto's side, slightly nervous as to what the blond thought.

"Is it okay?" he asked, slightly nervously. Naruto nodded with a soft smile on his face.

"It's brilliant; thank-you so much Sasuke," he whispered, turning to face the raven with sparkling blue eyes. Sasuke just smiled gently in return, the two sharing a special, silent moment. The sound of the front door opening had the blond tensing with a small flinch.

"Sasuke? Are you in yet?" Mikoto called. Sasuke saw the way Naruto relaxed when he realised that it wasn't his father.

"Yeah. I'm upstairs!" he yelled back, rolling his eyes at Naruto who seemed to be a bit nervous and was fiddling with the phone charm.

"Dobe, do you want to properly meet my mother outside of hospital settings?" Sasuke asked the blond, who just nodded slightly.

"She won't mind me being here, will she?" he asked quietly, as they made their way down the stairs. Sasuke just slung an arm over the blond's shoulder.

"I'm sure she'd more than happy to help- especially seeing as she's good friends with Jiraiya," Sasuke told the blond, who swallowed and nodded. The two boys arrived in the kitchen and Mikoto looked up with wide eyes as she saw Naruto standing there, fiddling with the hem of his school shirt.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san," he greeted with a small bow. Mikoto blinked twice before giggling and approaching the blond.

"There's no need to be so formal Naruto-kun. I treat you at the hospital enough for you to just be able to call me Mikoto," she told the blond softly, noting the barely visible tick in Sasuke's jaw when she mentioned that he'd been treated by her at the hospital enough times for them to be informal with each other. She smiled slightly at her son.

"Calm down, Sasuke," she told her son, who nodded slightly when Naruto looked at him confusedly.

"I'm sorry for imposing," Naruto muttered. Mikoto waved her hand slightly.

"It's quite alright; is your father in a good mood?" she asked with a smile. Her smile dropped at the flinch from the smaller boy and the growl from her son. She blinked at that. Sasuke actually _growled_! Her son had _never_ done that! Her sharp gaze turned to the blond.

"Naruto-kun, why are you away from him when he's not in a good mood?" she asked coldly. Sasuke turned a glare onto his mother, shoving the blond slightly behind him.

"He's not going back to that house when his father's in a bad mood!" Sasuke snapped, trying to ignore the way that Naruto was shaking behind him. Mikoto turned her stern gaze onto her son.

"You saw what happened when he was twenty minutes late home, Sasuke! What's going to happen when-"

"He's not going home until his father's calmed down!" Sasuke snapped, interrupting his mother. Mikoto gasped at the tone her son was using.

"I'm sorry, I'll go home," Naruto whispered, pulling away. He was stopped as both Uchiha's reached out and grabbed him.

"No you won't!" they told the blond simultaneously, who blinked in return. Sasuke dragged the blond back as his mother let go, looking to her son for an explanation.

"Minato called the school to inform Naruto he was going into a bad mood. His good mood- so to speak of- wanted him out of the house, and I offered Naruto one of our beds," Sasuke calmly told his mother, who sighed in return.

"Fine. But as soon as his father is in a good mood, he needs to go straight back home," she told Sasuke, who nodded in return.

"You have my word," Sasuke replied. Mikoto nodded and pulled out her mobile phone.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have to call Jiraiya to tell him where Naruto is, just in case Minato calls." She told her son, who nodded in return. Naruto was staring at the floor in the awkward silence.

"I really am sorry for imposing Uchiha-san. Are you sure you don't just want me to go home?" he asked the nurse, who smiled gently down at him.

"It's okay Naruto-kun. I was just surprised. I don't want you going home now- you're already an hour late," she tutted, looking for Jiraiya's contact number on her phone.

"I don't mind. I mean, I've imposed without an invite and if I go home now, it's better than if I went home later because then-"

"Dobe. You're staying here until your father has calmed down!" Sasuke snapped, grabbing the blond's tanned arm and dragging him away from a smirking Mikoto.

* * *

…_***~**__**Teacups and Carousels**__**~*…**_

* * *

It was Boxing Day when the phone rang out throughout the Uchiha household. Naruto could briefly register lying in a comfortable bed and faint voices throughout the house as the two people talked on the phone. His head hurt for some unknown reason, but he shook it off as he tried to get back to sleep. A knock on his door deleted all chances as it then opened, revealing a smiling Mikoto with the house phone in her hand.

"Naruto, sweetie, your dad's on the phone," she whispered, making Naruto sigh in relief and sit up.

"Thank you Mikoto," he whispered as she handed him the phone. He put it to his ear, knowing that the man on the other end would be friendly.

"Hey Dad,"

Or so he thought.

"You'd better get your ass back here. Now," was the low growl before the dial tone met his ears. He blinked, not letting anything else show on his face.

"'Kay, I'll see you in a bit," he said to nothing, but pressing the end call button nonetheless. He looked to Mikoto with a small smile and handed her the phone back.

"I need to get going. Thank you so much for the hospitality," he told the woman, standing up and grabbing the clothes he had borrowed from Sasuke over the few days he had been at the house. Mikoto smiled back.

"Do you want me to wake Sasuke so that you can say goodbye?" she asked softly. Naruto blinked before considering the option. But Sasuke knew him too well- he'd be able to see the underlying fear.

"No thanks. You know how Sasuke is when he's woken up- grumpier than a bear on a Tuesday," he joked. Mikoto giggled in return before giving the blond a hug.

"No breakfast?" she asked as they walked past the kitchen. Naruto shook his head, collecting his school bag and shoes.

"No thanks. My dad urgently needs me at home. Thanks for the offer though," he smiled, before opening the door and exiting through it.

"Will you visit again, Naruto-kun?" she asked hopefully. Naruto shrugged and smiled.

"If you want me to," he replied, before waving and jogging down the sidewalk. Mikoto smiled and waved back before going inside, unaware of what was about to happen.

Naruto sprinted down the road, lungs screaming for air as he approached the house. He entered through the front door and closed it, only to be met with a fist to his face.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Minato spat, pulling his fist back for another hit. Naruto took it, looking to the floor.

"I went out," Naruto replied, not meeting his father's eyes.

"Bullshit," the older snarled, fisting the shirt the blond was wearing.

"You were with that fancy boy, Uchiha," he snarled, eying the clothes that were a couple sizes too big on the blond. Naruto shook his head.

"I wasn't. I just went out!" he replied, not wanting his father to have resentment against his best friend. Minato snorted before throwing Naruto across the room, where he landed harshly on the settee. Naruto stood up from the comfortable piece of furniture, straight as a soldier for selection. He was approached by his father and he stood his ground, knowing what was going to come next. His prediction was correct as a fist smashed into his face, making him stumble slightly. He barely had any time to get his bearings before and elbow crashed into the back of his neck, making him breathless. Minato growled at the boy, grabbing his throat tightly enough to leave bruises.

"Don't lie to me!" he growled, launching his son across the room, causing him to smash into the plasma screen television. Naruto coughed slightly, spilling some blood onto the rug.

"I-I'm not lying!" Naruto croaked, trying to stand up, his arms shakily supporting his upper body. Minato growled and landed a solid kick onto his son's elbow. The resounding crack echoed around the room. He grabbed the back of the shirt's collar and hauled Naruto into the bathroom where the tub/shower resided.

"If you don't want to live here then run away you ungrateful brat!" he snapped, smashing Naruto's face onto the edge of the tub, before running the cold water and pulling the knob that made the shower head work. Naruto gasped as the cold water assaulted his body and he was shoved forward so it was raining over his head.

"Please, stop," he gasped as the spray of water was unrelenting, stinging his face.

"Why don't you run away?" Minato screamed, smashing the back of his son's neck with his elbow, causing a mixture of red to be washed down the plug along with the water.

'_Please don't turn on the hot water,'_ Naruto prayed as his father continued to hit him and scream at him.

"Your brother had the right idea! Get the fuck away from this house!" Minato screeched, turning off the cold water and putting it full blast onto the hot. Naruto yelped slightly, but just grit his teeth to refrain from letting any other sounds of discomfort escape.

"Just DIE!" was the final yell from Minato- accompanied with a huge blow to the back of the head- as Naruto passed out into unconsciousness.

When he awoke, it was to the dark bathroom. The water had run cold and a small trickle of blood was making its way onto the tiled floor. His torso was soaked and his head felt as though it had been split into two- it hurt to move- but he needed to see what had gone on. He pushed himself up- left arm protesting quite a bit as he did so- and he gasped as he witnessed the carnage around him. He whimpered, too afraid to go out of the bathroom and see what had transpired. A small vibration in his front pocket caught his attention and he shakily reached into his pocket to pull out the phone he'd been given.

"H-hello?" he asked shakily, shivering as he looked around the darkened house.

"Little brother, I'm coming home," was the voice on the other end. Cerulean blue eyes widened and he glanced down to see that the number was withheld. He went back to ask more questions, but was met with the dial tone. He swallowed slightly and stood up, swaying on the spot slightly. Turning off the shower, Naruto then exited the bathroom to look around the house. He shivered when he realised why it was so cold. The kitchen window had been smashed, letting in the winter breeze. He glanced into the living room, seeing the smashed television and overturned settee. He then wandered into the study- everything was fine in there. He then spotted the door to the back garden, which had been torn from its hinges.

"What the hell?" Naruto groaned, clutching the side of his bleeding head.

"Dad?" Naruto called throughout the house

"DAD!" Naruto yelled when he hadn't received an answer. The blond then started to hyperventilate.

Where was his father? What happened?

A pain erupted at the side of his stomach and he looked down to see a tear in the shirt he was wearing.

"Fuck, Sasuke's going to kill me!" Naruto whispered, before his eyes widened in realisation. He scrambled for the phone in his pocket and pressed the speed dial for the raven.

"C'mon, pick up!" he muttered, as the phone began to ring and his head began to feel fuzzy. He slid down the wall, leaving a red swipe as he did so. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief when the sound of shuffling appeared on the other end.

"N'yello?" asked a tired yawn. Naruto blinked, looking at the time. His eyes widened when he saw that it was almost eleven 'o' clock. He'd been unconscious for nearly twelve hours.

"S-Sasuke," he whispered, leaning against the wall and hissing slightly when more pain came for his side, and he glanced down to see a lot of blood coming from a cut.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, panicked. Naruto sighed.

"No, not really," he chuckled, vision going blurry.

"What's wrong? Where are you? Are you hurt?" a fusillade of question marks was sent his way as he tried to focus on something to keep him grounded. He decided on Sasuke's voice and the phone in his hand.

"I-I need some medical help. I'm at home; and yes, I think I've been stabbed," he chuckled, leaning against the wall. There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side.

"Dobe! Where's your dad?" Sasuke asked, panicked. Naruto frowned.

"I-I don't know. I woke up and he wasn't there so-"

"Whoa! What do you mean you 'woke up and he wasn't there'?" Sasuke asked frantically. Naruto sighed before sobbing slightly.

"You were right Sasuke, all along!" Naruto whimpered. On the other end, Sasuke's eyes widened and he sat up in bed, pulling some clothes on.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked once more. Naruto shivered in the slight cold.

"I went home- but he was in a bad mood. He was faking it on the phone to your mother- he knows about his good personality now I suppose," Naruto whispered, finding it harder and harder to stay conscious.

"Fuck! Naruto, try to stay awake, okay? Don't fall asleep!" Sasuke told the blond, rushing out of bed and down the stairs. His mother was working a night shift so he was alone in the house. He ran past the living room, still holding the phone to his ear.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Try and apply some pressure to the wound!" Sasuke told the blond over the phone, who just sighed in return.

"Please hurry, Sasuke," he whimpered over the phone as he pressed his hands shakily to his side where the majority of the blood was gushing. The creaking of the front door was heard and the blond turned, hoping that it was Sasuke. A pool of dread settled in his stomach when he saw who it was.

It was Jiraiya.

Naruto was instantly on the defensive.

"Jiraiya! It's not it looks like! We were going to be robbed but the guy made off with-" he was cut off with a growl and the Chief of Police leant forward, grabbing Sasuke's shirt, pulling out a small wire and camera from within the fold of the fabric.

"Don't lie, Naruto- we have evidence now," Jiraiya growled once more. Naruto looked to the phone that was still connected; he pressed it to his ear, to hear that Sasuke was outside and running.

"Naruto? Are you still awake?" Sasuke yelled down the line. Naruto didn't answer but just closed the phone and placed it on the floor.

"He betrayed me," Naruto whispered, looking to Jiraiya with broken blue eyes.

"Where's dad?" he asked the older man, who ignored him and just removed the tan hand from the wound to cover it with an ace bandage.

"JIRAIYA! WHERE'S MY PAPA!" Naruto yelled, completely losing it. Jiraiya flinched but ignored the blond who had started to thrash.

"Answer me dammit!" Naruto yelled, trying to sit up, despite the gash in his side. Tears made their way down his scarred cheeks.

"Where's my daddy," he whimpered brokenly. Jiraiya looked to the blond, whose eyes had glazed over in memory.

"Kyuubi, where's Daddy?" Naruto whispered, staring straight ahead now.

"He's never at home any more. When he is home, he's always mean. Where's our Daddy gone Kyuubi?" Naruto whispered. Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock and his breathing became shallow when the blond started crying from wide, glazed eyes.

"Take me away Kyuubi. Wherever you've been, I want to go!" Naruto protested, now whining softly. The front door to the house burst open and Jiraiya looked to the Uchiha that had burst in, a redheaded adult standing behind him.

"Why would he do that to me Kyuubi- I feel so dirty. I always do," Naruto whispered, earning everyone's attention. The adult behind Sasuke gasped and approached the blond.

"Naruto? Naru?" the redhead asked, placing a large hand on scarred cheeks. Tears were felt on the calloused hands of the older man.

"I don't like it when he moves inside me. It hurts!" Naruto cried out, shaking his head from side to side. Sasuke had to stop himself from throwing up there and then. Naruto had been raped at some point. He stared at the redhead, who was stroking blond locks as Jiraiya called for medical assistance.

"It's okay Naruto; your big brother is here," the man- Kyuubi- whispered. Sasuke approached the blond and redhead, shocked.

"Kyuubi-san, is it okay to-" Murky brown eyes locked with onyx and Sasuke shrunk back slightly, but was relieved when Kyuubi pulled him forward and stepped back himself. Sasuke knelt down before the blond who was shaking violently, scratching at his arms.

"I feel so dirty Kyuubi. Am I wrong? What did I do wrong?" he asked, still scratching at his arms, eyes glazed over in memory still. Sasuke felt his heart break and he pulled the blond closer, feeling how cold his skin was.

"It's okay Naru, you're going to be okay," Sasuke whispered, rubbing the blond's back. A heart-wrenching sob escaped from the blond and he thrashed in Sasuke's hold.

"PLEASE DON'T DO IT DADDY! I'M SORRY!" he screamed into the Uchiha's neck. Sasuke just pulled the blond closer, squeezing his eyes shut as Naruto continued to ride out the mental storm that was consuming his soul.

"Don't touch me! DON'T CUT ME!" he all but screeched.

"I PROMISE I WON'T RUN AWAY! I _PROMISE_!" Everybody in the room flinched and Sasuke felt tears stain his own cheeks as a long drawn-out scream erupted from the blond, followed by uncontrolled sobbing into the Uchiha's neck.

"It's okay Naruto," he whispered, carding his fingers through the downy blond locks. Naruto hiccupped and sobbed, even as he was taken away by the emergency services. Sasuke and Kyuubi rode in the ambulance, along with Jiraiya. As soon as they arrived, Sasuke was attacked by his mother.

"What happened to him?" she worried as she saw her colleague wheeling the yelling and sobbing blond into a hospital room. Sasuke sighed and hugged his mother gently.

"I caught his father. We have evidence. But Naruto was stabbed," he told his mother, still shaking.

"Why's he acting like that?" she worried, trying to get a peek over her son's shoulder- a son that was about five inches taller than she was. Sasuke shivered, the scream forefront in his memory.

"H-he went into a mental relapse," Sasuke shuddered before he ran to the nearest bin and threw up. Mikoto squeaked and ran over to her son, rubbing his back.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" she asked, worried. Sasuke shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

"N-Naruto was raped by his father!" he gasped, throwing up again. Mikoto paled.

"How do you know?" she asked, feeling a little sick herself. Sasuke shook his head.

"He s-said when he was relapsing!" he gasped and looked up when a strong hand fell onto his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" Kyuubi asked the younger boy, who just nodded in return, accepting the bottle of water held out to him. Mikoto squeaked and turned to the older male.

"Kyuubi-kun!" she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. Kyuubi nodded in recognition to the woman and turned to Sasuke.

"I want to thank you for helping me get my dad," he told the raven, who just nodded in return.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy. Naruto always forgave him," he told the redhead, who nodded in return and looked towards the blond's hospital room. Sasuke opened his mouth to ask another question, but Kyuubi cut him off.

"He's stable, but asleep. And he'll be living with me when he's healthy," Kyuubi told the youth, who nodded, some of his questions answered. Not all of them, however.

"Will I still be able to see him? Whereabouts do you live? Where have you been all this time?" Sasuke asked, wanting to know everything. Kyuubi eyed him warily.

"Yes. Just down the road from you. Trying to win custody of Naruto." He answered each question in the order in which they were asked. Sasuke blinked before he growled.

"How come you never tried to help him?" he hissed. Kyuubi flinched.

"Because I'm a coward. I ran away, hoping to leave it all behind. But now I'm going to be with him every step of the way," Kyuubi whispered determinedly. Sasuke nodded and swallowed.

"You'd better be!" he whispered, earning a pat on the shoulder from the older male and the two locked eyes, understanding flashing between them. They were brought out of their reverie, however, when there was a screaming from within Naruto's room. The two males rushed in- followed by Mikoto- to see that Naruto was sitting up in bed and ripping the wires from his skin.

"Where am I? Why am I at the hospital?_! _WHERE'S MY DAD_?_!" he yelled, looking to the three that had entered. Mikoto was by Naruto's side instantly, trying to restrain the boy.

"Calm down Naruto-kun. You were stabbed and your father is in custody. We managed to capture him," Mikoto soothed, rubbing the blond's cheeks slightly.

"It's okay," she let out a shaky laugh at the blond's shocked face. Naruto then turned to Sasuke, looking to the raven that had a slight smile on his face, and then to his older brother who was looking nervous.

"Traitors," was the whisper that was barely heard. The smiles dropped and Kyuubi frowned.

"ALL OF YOU!" Naruto roared, shoving Mikoto back and standing from his bed. Sasuke yelled out in shock, going to catch his mother.

"What the fuck, Naruto?_!" _Sasuke roared at the blond.

"I SHOULD BE THE ONE ASKING THAT!" Naruto yelled in return. Mikoto stood up straight and faced the blond.

"Naruto-kun, get back into that hospital bed! You'll burst your stitches!" she snapped.

"Fuck you! Fuck you all!" Naruto spat, turning to rush out of his room before his upper arm was caught by Sasuke's strong grip.

"Don't you speak to my mother that way; gypsy boy!" Sasuke spat, glaring into cerulean blue that looked slightly hurt.

"I trusted you, you fucker!" Naruto snapped at him, struggling against the grip on his arm.

"I trusted all of you not to tell anyone!" he yelled, starting to pull harder and twist in the raven's grip. Sasuke's eyes widened. He'd always thought the blond and he had a mutual agreement of friendship- he didn't know when the blond had started to trust him.

"I…I didn't-"

"IT'S TOO LATE! I WAS FINE ON MY OWN! I KNEW IT WAS STUPID OF ME TO ACTUALLY _TRUST_ SOMEONE FOR ONCE!" Naruto screamed, once more reduced to tears. Sasuke released his grip on the tanned arm and swallowed.

"AND _YOU_!" Naruto yelled, rounding on his older brother, who just looked ashamed.

"Where the _fuck_ have you been all these years?" Naruto hissed venomously. Kyuubi sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Naruto, I know you have every right to be angry- even furious- right now. But think about it. In the long run; you'll be living with me and you won't be abused anymore," Kyuubi told his little brother, stepping forward slightly. Naruto's bottom lip trembled.

"Don't _say_ that!" he whined, covering his ears.

"I wasn't abused! I was being punished!" Naruto yelled.

Everybody froze as Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, sobbing into his hands.

"It was my fault! It was all my fault!" he cried, stunning the room into silence. Sasuke went to approach the blond, but was pushed out of the way by Kyuubi, who then took a seat next to the blond and wrapped a hand around the shaking shoulders.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault- it never was," Kyuubi whispered to the blond, pulling him to his chest. Mikoto swallowed slightly and covered her mouth to conceal a small sob.

"It was all my fault she died!" he howled, burying himself further into Kyuubi's chest, wanting to just lose himself in the smell of comfort and nostalgia that his brother's deodorant threw into his mind.

"It was never your fault Naruto. Please believe me when I say that," Kyuubi whispered, pressing a soft kiss into blond locks. Sasuke swallowed and sat down next to the blond, placing a hand on his knee for a gesture of comfort.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," he whispered, squeezing the knee slightly, relieved when it wasn't thrown off. Mikoto watched the sight with slightly sad eyes.

"At last. It's finally over," she whispered, locking eyes with murky brown, a small smile overtaking their features. It was over now.

Naruto was going to be safe.

* * *

**…_*~_**_**Teacups and Carousels**__**~*…**_

_**Two Years Later…**_

* * *

The blond woke up, slightly groggy. He looked to his right and noticed that sunlight was filtering through the peach coloured curtains of his room, and he just groaned, burying himself deeper into the confines of his orange bedsheets. A knock on his bedroom door dragged him from his sleep-hazed state and he just groaned once more before rolling over to glance at the tall redhead who was standing in the doorway, a tray of breakfast in his hands.

"Mornin' little brother," he told the blond cheerily, who just moaned and turned back over. Kyuubi grinned and approached the blond that was refusing to wake up.

"If you don't get up, I'll just have to eat all this ramen by myself," he said in a mock sad voice. It worked like a charm. Naruto was sitting up and had snatched the tray away from the waiting hands before proceeding to inhale the instant noodles at an unhealthy pace. Kyuubi smiled and ruffled the hair of the now eighteen-year-old blond.

"How much did you drink last night?" Kyuubi asked teasingly. Naruto groaned and faced his brother.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that you shouldn't know what I'd been doing!" he replied. Kyuubi chuckled.

"Please, little brother. As your guardian, I should be aware when you attend a drinking party- especially seeing as it was me who picked you and Sasuke up when you two got so hammered," the redhead snorted, earning an unappreciative moan from the blond in the bed.

"Where is the bastard?" Naruto asked, looking around as if the raven would magically appear.

"Downstairs, nursing one of the world's worst hangovers," Kyuubi stated with a smirk. Naruto snorted.

"At least I don't have a headache," he replied happily, collapsing backwards, only to smack his head against the headboard.

"Ah fuck!" he moaned, grabbing the back of his head, earning a laugh from his older brother. A shuffling of feet on carpet drew their attention to the doorway, where Sasuke was leaning against the frame, hand clutching the side of his head.

"Please be quiet," he moaned, looking to the blond on the bed who was shirtless and clutching at his own head. A barely-existent blush formed on the raven's cheeks and he smirked slightly.

"Hangover?" Sasuke asked smugly, earning a smug grin in return.

"Nope, just smacked my head on the headboard," he told the raven, who snorted.

"That's even worse- because that's caused by your own stupidity, dobe," he teased, earning a playful growl in return. Kyuubi eyed the two warily, taking note of the actions, how they were playful yet almost affectionate.

"Are you two a couple?" he asked. Naruto spluttered, cheeks turning an interesting shade of red. Sasuke wasn't faring much better, but his reaction was much more subdued.

"Hn, as if a dobe like him would be able to pull me," he smirked, a challenging glint in his eye. Kyuubi blinked at the look and turned to his younger brother, who was growling.

"Teme! I'd so be able to pull you!" Naruto snapped in return, irritation increasing as Sasuke just rose an eyebrow.

"Of course- let's just remember who has the fan club here, dobe," Sasuke muttered, before he was pounced upon by the blond. He blinked a couple of times when he felt something heavy against his lips. He looked up into equally shocked eyes that were widening with each passing second. Kyuubi was making odd choking sounds in the background as neither of the two boys were trying to pry themselves apart. Eventually, after what felt like hours to the two boys, they broke apart, dramatically gasping for air.

"NO! I've had my lip virginity stolen by a bastard!" Naruto proclaimed dramatically. Sasuke just paled.

"I'm going to turn into a dobe! No!" he whispered in an upset voice. Kyuubi peeked through his hands at the two boys who were now crying slightly, but with a slight tinge to their cheeks. He sighed and scratched his cheek.

"Well this silence is awkward," he proclaimed.

"I hear ya," Naruto replied, glancing to the raven that was looking around the room.

"Soooo," the blond dragged out, looking around at his room also.

"This is _really_ awkward," Sasuke muttered, earning a hum of agreement from the other two in the room.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom; I want you in my room. Let's spend the night together; from now until forever!" The three boys looked to Naruto's bedside table where his phone was currently vibrating and flashing, playing the ridiculous tune.

"Well that's a way to break the ice," Kyuubi shrugged as Naruto answered his phone.

"N'yello?" he asked the person on the other end.

"I don't what you and Uchiha are doing, but I can feel the awkwardness from the other end of town!" Kiba snapped, earning a frustrated growl and the blond hung up.

"Who was it?" Sasuke asked the blond, who had adorned a sour expression.

"Apparently we're giving off 'Awkward Vibes'," he muttered, earning a concealed snort from Kyuubi.

"You do that just by breathing," he told the blond. There was an even heavier silence after that as Naruto looked downcast and Kyuubi realised his mistake.

"Shit! Naru, I didn't mean it like that!" he protested. Naruto nodded.

"I-I know, I'm just trying to adjust still," he whispered. Sasuke sighed and stood next to the blond.

"Don't worry Naruto. It's not your fault. And we'll be with you every step of the way until you've fully healed," Sasuke told the blond, pulling him into a one armed hug. Naruto snorted.

"Teme, I'm not a girl," he replied lightly. Sasuke smiled down at him and Kyuubi just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say princess," he muttered, earning a shove from his little brother.

"But thanks- both of you," he whispered, fiddling with his hands. Sasuke and Kyuubi just smiled slightly at one another before standing on each side of the blond, placing a hand on his shoulder each.

"There's nothing to thank us for," Kyuubi told Naruto, ruffling the blond hair once more. Naruto protested slightly and ducked out of the way.

"Dude, you're gunna mess up my hair!" he protested. Sasuke just snorted.

"Your hair's already messed up dobe," he retorted, poking the blond's scarred cheeks. Naruto growled playfully before stalking downstairs for a glass of milk.

"You're both assholes! Why do I put up with you?" he called from downstairs. The older two just smiled at one another and shrugged.

"C'mon, you love us as assholes and you know it!" Sasuke called down, following the blond into the kitchen, leaving Kyuubi on his own to stare after them. A small smile graced his face, as he thought of his family- not complete- but whole in the sense of having one another there for them. Minato was in an institute, but they were allowed to see him on his good days; and their mother's grave wasn't moving anywhere. Mikoto and Sasuke were a new addition, but loved just as much in every way. The redhead glanced to the photo frame of his younger self and he smiled a little before placing it face down. It was time to go out with the old and in with the new.

They were slowly moving on- because the future ahead of them was bright.

Shining and new.

* * *

**WA'HEY! Happy ending :') I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed, alerted and favourited this story. Even though it's two chapters, it's still pretty long!**

**So, thank you to:**

Kativa-chan, Lemtard-513, Babywolfchick1142, gangsta princess, Juura99, sathreal, BeeBee Forthwright, isis-yolly, DZIEWCZYNA GANGSTERA, Jess the Weird, Randomperson, Akirakun17, KagomeGirl021, lolipopcandylala, Kitty20, MiuBlaze, WRONG –SHERLOCK, NaomiNagasaki, StrawberriesAndCinnamonJAM, KariNeko, vampydarkangel, Kuroki-Ryomi, InoYamanaka1, JustARunaway, Redfoxshadow, WinterValentine 

**For your reviews, favourites and/or alerts!**

**And just to let you know, I think that's the most I've ever had with one story/chapter ^_^ So I'm happy. **

**Also, if you read this after it's completed, I'm still very appreciative of reviews and feedback (yes this is a review whore speaking, how may I help?)**

**Just once more, thanks for the views and stuff! And, if you like my other stories (read above parenthesis for comment on that part there) the next one I will be updating is either 'A Century of Words' or 'Fighting Darkness 2'.**

**And before I forget! If anybody wants to kindly make me a cover for this piece of work, I'd be extremely appreciative of it! I'll even write a request for the person who does- 'cause y'know, the picture that shows up at the moment is my DP- Sasuke riding a green Llama; and however pissing-myself-hilarious that is, I don't think it sends out the right message for this fic XD**

**So, I'll be writing again soon and well, as my friend wrote in my leaver's book:**

* * *

_Have a good life,_

_Don't let the rape faces catch you. _

_Good luck in college/uni whatever. _

_Don't die a sad and lonely shark._

_May the force be with you!_

_xCastielsGirlx_

* * *

_._


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